Inverted Insignia Chapter 27 Connected

Inverted Insignia
Connected

The arena continued with the last two fights once Starscream had been cleared off the field. The crowd remained yet its exuberance had been taken down a little. Something about the brutality of the Seeker fight was nothing short of disturbing. They wanted to watch two people fight an exciting battle, not witness one person exerting extreme power over the other until he pleaded for an end.  Although the crowd had cried out for Nimbus to finish Starscream, it was not out of malice for the young cadet on the dirt being tortured, but out of mercy, it was wrong what the giant Seeker was doing and they wanted to end his suffering in the quick way it should have been.

The spectators were very relieved that the young flier had managed to find it within himself to fight back and win his life, in the manner that had been his signature through out his tenure in the pits; the Silver Snake bite -  dagger blow into the chest, usually driven deep into the spark and twisted to end his opponent before he even realised the tables had turned. Starscream never tormented his opponents, he usually dealt them with a swift death. Usually Starscream feigned his wounding, or made it seem worse than it was to lure them into striking range, but Nimbus, as a mind reader knew the youth was not faking his injuries and did not anticipate how instinctive the young flier was when he attacked that way. That manner of attack had become so second nature to Starscream, that the action of taking his knife and getting it ready did not come across as a thought but was a conditioned reaction. Starscream's defeat was turned to victory.

One person in the crowd was so moved by his courage, So repulsed by his torment that he stood up and gave Starscream credit for his bravery in suffering. One by one, then two by two everyone stood up and coins rained down into the field. Each spectator honouring the young flier. By the time they had finished, Darkstar and his wingmates were crouched around him, Shielding him from the rain of coins.

Skywarp and Thundercracker attempted to follow Darkstar and his trine down into the Arena Staging area. Deathrow told them they would have to wait back at campus because there was no room for them, the outgoing combatants, and incoming Medics. Skywarp attempted to insist, but Thundercracker dragged him toward the door by a wing.  Both Skywarp and Thundercracker noticed the metal coffin that was propped against the wall, shaped and sized for a Seeker of Starscream's dimensions. They truly hoped that he would not need it.  Once outside, Skywarp and Thundercracker took to the wing to blow off some heat and worry.

The activity on the field while Starscream was in the ring did not go unnoticed by other cadets who's turn had not yet arrived and they were all ill at ease, they heard the screams, they heard the cries. They heard the cadet beg for his death and be denied it. It was not an honourable fight, they agreed that it was not in the spirit of the game to torment the defeated in that way.  It was an unwritten rule that a kill should be quick and swift. It was fine to stand above the defeated and wait to decide what the crowd thought should happen, then finish him off with a thrust to the spark, or put a hand down to pull him off the ground in a gesture of mercy – that is if he could get off the ground. Killing the opponent was actually not necessary.

The remaining two fights saw all four combatants survive through a mutual agreement that enough fluid had been spilled. Astrotrain and Blitzwing had been the last two fighters. Which saw Blitzwing as the victor take Astrotrain down and mock killed him with a thrust into the sand then drew the other to his feet. Both fighters were injured and evenly matched and were happy to be alive.

Deathrow and Ground Zero agreed that the savage brutality of Nimbus was something they should push to be banned. Decepticon Arena fighting generally lacked rules, but there were some that should be applied for non professional combat fights. There had been no display of courage or skill with how Nimbus had treated Starscream. Any Decepticon could kick a mech when he was down. Anyone could weld a blade can cut another and torment him. It was, in its simplest, as dishonourable as it was disgusting. They too were relieved when Starscream struck back. As soon as the violent Seeker had vanished, they opened the gate and pushed the medics out toward their fighter. The repair of the youth would be a very delicate procedure and his chances of survival was extremely low.

*  *  *
Three days after the fight.
The recovery room was dimly lit, monitors showed the cadet was improving rapidly. His colour had restored to normal. Of the repairs, his wing was one of the easiest patching and rebuilding the inner structure was simple; it was the punctured spark chamber that proved more difficult. Darkstar had been told that without a suitable donor to replace the innermost energon that had bled from his spark chamber the young cadet would surely perish. This was averted when Darkstar admitted that he could be the donor they sought.

The youth came blinked back online. He gasped then blinked again in surprise at the fact he was alive. He did not expect to ever awake again. He gently pressed along his chest feeling the smooth surface of his new canopy and glanced around. It was hard to see, his vision had not quite adjusted.  “Is anyone around?” he asked. Into the dimness. He did not see Darkstar napping quietly in the corner. The older flier had his head resting on the wall, jaw open slightly. He might have realised someone was there if the larger Seeker was prone to snoring.

The older Decepticon woke up to the faint voice, he had been present since the entire time. “I am, Starscream,” Darkstar responded a little groggily. “How are you feeling?”

“Confused...somehow I survived....how did I survive and how long have I been out?”

“A few days, we had to keep you out so you could recover. Your spark had been breached, it was a dangerous repair.”

His optics flashed in surprise. “I survived getting my spark chamber breached?”

“Its possible, if sealed fast and providing you have the right person to give you a donation of their innermost fluid. Might be where that little tradition with the tiny bottles arose.” Darkstar remarked. He popped a tiny bottle along side a large number of bottles nearby.

“Who was the compatible donor?” Starscream asked watching as Darkstar placed his in amongst  the collection.

Darkstar shifted his wings. “Who do you think, boy.”

“Hmmm, you... So what Nimbus said is true?” he asked trying to determine if Nimbus had been speaking the truth or tormenting him further with worry.

“I have no idea what he said, Starscream. I am not a mind reader; not like him. If you can tell me what he said, if you recall, then I suppose I will have to be open...and honest.” Darkstar sighed. He feared being rejected by the boy.

“He... said you were the ruler of Seekers, and that you stood in his way... and kept implying that I was also in his way, that actually we both were.”

“When I told you were my protege, do you understand what I was trying to imply without actually saying it?

“So, you are...” he hesitated unsure of using a term he never used before in the context he was working at. “You actually are my....father?” he said timidly.

“It's why my donation healed you as quickly as it did.” He leaned forward placing his elbows on the armrests and rested his chin on his fist. He watched as the young flier struggle with his thoughts.

“...And so when you said your mate was killed and you lost your son, whom I reminded you of, you were actually referencing me... How, how exactly did you lose me?” He finally put the puzzle together, realising that Darkstar was trying to tell him this message the whole time.

“You did what you were told, you ran and hid.” The older Seeker frowned. “It was probably a huge mistake on our part, And you have every right to hate me, but it did give you necessary skills that put you above your peers in survival. The only excuse I could possibly say to justify what we did was that we had to hide you. We were forced to tuck you away from Nimbus very shortly after you had broke your pod. He would have killed you in an instant.”

“The reason for that was..?”

“Skywarp is an illegitimate son of the Queen, as is Thundercracker. You however, were produced under the bondrite years after I was designated ruler of our kind. You are the legal and legitimate heir to rule the Seekers. And Nimbus hates that fact. ”

“And because Nimbus could not win the Queen's favour he killed her, expecting to be given the title because he was the oldest, but instead of him, you got it.” Starscream suddenly looked extremely ill.

“That is right. Starscream?” Darkstar stood up concerned, “Are you okay boy?”

the young flier waved his hand gently. “No, no, quite okay, just... Thundercracker I could live with as being a cousin, but Skywarp? That's rough.”

Darkstar smiled wryly. “I'm sorry I did not tell you sooner.”

“What of the other cadets you said trained to fulfill the duties? Starscream inquired, “Was that fictitious?”

“No, I did train others in the past, most did not do well, they crumbled under the pressure and all of them died. I trained them because I lost track of you. I began to believe you-yourself had died. I needed someone we could trust. When you arrived that day and said you were Starscream, it was a delight. I was apprehensive about you being a scientist however you proved me pleasantly wrong. I did try to tell you were of a good lineage.”

Starscream rubbed his head, it was starting to ache. “How did you know for sure that I was who you thought I was,”

“I sent a sample of your fluids to Thunderfall. We have a base up north in the Manganese mountains. The mineral composition blocks Nimbus. Thunderfall is our medic and he manages and maintains the base.  ”

“There's another one of you? Thunderfall...Thundercracker's? How many of you are there?”

“Five left, there were nine originally.”

“This is a lot for me to take in and process...The information that Nimbus gave me; what you just said...”

Darkstar patted the youth then sat back down. The young flier leaned back and was about to doze when the older flier spoke up.

“There is other thing,” he rumbled “That night in Vos, I followed you north. Noticed you break into a building. I bought that building a few years before you arrived at the academy. I wondered what business you had in there, and I realised when I went in, after you left, that it was your home. I learned stuff, I felt bad for learning what I learned. I returned to campus, then you returned. I tried to get you to talk about it, and you kept it to yourself. If you ever need to discuss it...”

The youth glanced over. “Thanks for restoring the building to me, but... there is nothing that I want to discuss or need to discuss.”

Darkstar nodded as the young flier settled down.

“And there is one more thing...” the older Seeker said, “My trine and I are ground bridging to Manganese Mountains after graduation. We can't remain here, not with Nimbus around.”


*  *  *
Nine days after the fight.
Starscream sat studying his datapad “I figured it out!” He said brightly. His face still bore marks from his attacker. Those and his wing injuries were healing well. He was more or less back to his normal self, only he looked a little older. What he had endured did have a profound effect on his mind.

“What did you figure out?” Skywarp quickly responded, “The secret to immortality?”

“No, you dumb aft, and that is only a pipe dream. How they paired up the last combatants.” He held up the datapad.

Tipping his head, Skywarp looked at the other confused. “That made no sense Screamer, you sure you are healed?”

“They were trying to match types of fighters together. Astrotrain and Blitzwing were both Triplechangers. Karellen and Overbite were light grounders, and Backdraft and Warsaw were heavy grounders. “I was the only Seeker to make it to that round, so I presume they had to bring in a Seeker who made it to that round from another Academy.”

“It has taken you a week AFTER the fact to arrive at that,” Thundercracker rumbled in amusement.

“Well, Had I not been so scared I might have realised sooner.”

Skywarp growled as the tin of polish spilled on the floor. “Now look what you two made me do, I wasted all that... polish. Why do I have to do this?” He whined.

“Because we are leaving this academy and joining the military, so you need to look your best.” Thundercracker responded.”

“That and we have never seen you super clean,” Starscream added as he glanced over at the other. He squinted then poked a spot on his wing. “You missed an area.”

Skywarp snarled and tossed the cleaning cloth at Starscream, who snapped it up out the air and started to buff the dull spot. “Oh...Oh primus Starscream, don't join the military, start dishing out pterocures,” He muttered wings and shoulders hanging limp.

Starscream thrust the cloth back at the dark Seeker. “I am not giving out pterocures, And if you continue to behave in that disturbing manner, I won't even do you the favour.”

Thundercracker grinned he did find the continued baiting and arguing between the pair to have a humorous level to it. He could tell it was more banter than aggression. Skywarp was pleased that Starscream was back with the team. And Starscream appeared to be a lot less stressed and in overall good humour.  He could see a haunted glint in the younger flier's optic and he could not get Starscream to talk about it and not with Skywarp present.

*  *  *

The arena was filled to the brim with Decepticon citizens, military personnel.  It was decorated with  black banners that sported a bright purple insignia, trimmed with gold piping. These hung along the area walls, with the most ornate of the banners behind a podium that stood just below the commentators box.

The Cadets filed in through the pit gates and formed up in front of the podium where they waited. Starscream experienced an anxiety attack which he forced himself to lock down. He was safe, there was no one near him who would want to kill him. It was graduation, a day he thought he would never see. He glanced up and the sky was bright with lights, the stars shone brilliantly and the moon hung just over the top of the arena where silhouette of Seekers could be seen crouching, watching from their lofty vantage.

The officers, and professors filed in taking seats either side of the the stand, Seeker officers and professors to the left, Grounder officers and professors to the right. The headmaster, Hexen and his entourage arrived on stage. Everyone sat down as Hexen stepped forward.

Cadets, Officers, Femcons and Mech. I welcome you to the tenth graduation ceremonies of the Cybertron War Academy. We are the most prestigious schools on the planet, We alone bear the name of our home world, rather than the city in which we reside. Megatron chooses to come to this academy before all others. Here he has his pick of the best trained and highly skilled individuals. Here he has the choice of some of the toughest warriors the planet has ever seen. Congratulations. You are all now proven members of the Decepticon Armed Forces. To the left and right, respectively we have the Decepticon Air Force, and the Decepticon Ground Forces.

Before we hand out our dipomas, degrees, certificates and badges to our new officers, I will like to acknowledge one cadet in particular for his contribution to improving our forces, uncanny skill with multiple weapons, extreme displays of courage in the face of adversity and perhaps the best Air Warrior this academy has ever produced. I present to you, the Pride of the Cybertron War Academy, Second Lieutenant Starscream.”

Starscream snapped to attention then balled his fist bringing it to his chest in a salute. He then took a step forward and marched neatly up to the podium. He saluted once more. They handed him an award, And his certificates, degrees and diplomas which he had scored in top 98% for each.

“We thank you for the efforts in teaching us new valuable skills that can affect the survival of our Seekers on the wing.” As he turned to face his peers, the Seekers on the roof leapt into the sky and transformed, they quickly formed up on one flier and did a formation flyover each Seeker peeling off, with a stream of coloured smoke leaving one behind that one flew back and shook his wings side to side, saying farewell to their unit leader. The other Seekers rejoined their commander and landed back on the roof.

Starscream felt a pang of regret. He would miss those he flew with, those he taught, and those who had taught him. He quietly thanked Hexen, handed the trophy back for safe keeping and fell in with his wingmates.

Soon after each officer had stood up and said their fond farewells, and praise of the efforts of the surviving cadets, they were to form lines and take there graduation certificate and rank if they were given one. Each officer shook the hand of each cadet as they passed. Then exited out the arena doors.

Starscream opened the envelope that was handed with his certificate roll. His placement orders. East Tarn Front.  

Skywarp and Thundercracker grinned at each other,  “We're going to Polyhex, Starscream, isn't that great?!”

Something inside of the young flier seemed to break. He felt a huge hollowness as he walked out into the street. Leaving his wingmates behind him. His wings lowered and he looked into the sky. “Primus, I hate you,” he whispered.

“Starscream?” Thundercracker asked, noticing a rapid change, “What's the matter? You also got posted to Polyhex right?”

“No, I did not,” he replied darkly, keeping his frustration down. “I am expected to take a wing second position on the front lines at Tarn.”

Skywarp blinked. “They split the team? Why'd they do that?”  

the blue Seeker rumbled pensively. “He's an officer, so he is going to go lead a unit... the price an officer has to pay,” he explained to Skywarp quickly understanding.

“This is why, I try not to get close to anyone,” Starscream said sadly as he turned back to his wingmates. “Because, everyone I have ever grown close to has left me, gone missing or has died. You two have been there with me since day one, you've been my friends, my enemies, my council, my source of comfort when I was in distress... and...he clenched his fists trying to hold back his frustration. Even Darkstar, Riftwing and Stellardrift are going...”Starscream turned and transformed, dropping his posting papers, and jetted off rapidly. He allowed himself to express his intense sadness at the separation in a form that could display it.

Darkstar stepped in behind and picked up the crumpled paper. That the young flier had dropped prior to his transformation. He looked it over then looked at the pair. “You?” He asked.

“Polyhex,” they both replied.

“I advised against it...I knew this would happen. He will be back though,” Darkstar glanced  at his datapad. “He's at the simulators. Just let him vent and he'll return.”

Skywarp and Thundercracker hung back from the main throng at the party, waiting, hoping for their trine leader to return. After it became apparent he would not be attending the party they left walking side by side back to the barracks and see if he had gone there.

“He's a jerk sometimes...” Skywarp grumbled.

“Don't be so quick to blame him, Skywarp. He's still quite young  and young people don't have good control on their feelings. He has suffered a great deal in his short life. He has explained a lot to me so that I can try to get you to understand why. He warned me not to tell you some of this, I figured he rest out, but I need you to understand that what I tell you, is dangerous to you... You need some understanding of why he feels how he feels right now.”

“I promise I won't tell anyone...”

He placed his hand on Skywarp firmly as if to hold him still. He leaned in and whispered, “if you do, I will kill you myself, brother,” Thundercracker warned, “do not force my hand.”  The blue Seeker straightened and kept his hands firmly on Skywarp. “He had a bondmate once but she died, she was murdered in cold blood.”

“Oh, explains the disinterest in females, I was thinking he preferred guys,” Skywarp remarked.

“He doesn't prefer anyone, not anymore not as a bondmate. He has friends, but that is the extent of it.”

“Okay, how is his wife being dead dangerous to me?”

“Because, Skywarp, you killed his mate at Darkside. I was at war with myself about telling you when I realised, but I thought you might accidentally brag about your murders and he connect you to her. I spoke to Darkstar about it and he advised I tell you with extreme caution.”

Skywarp frowned intensely. “You have my word, brother. I will not speak of it.” Skywarp glanced up. “I'm just like Nimbus aren't I? He's a jerk. But...I feel...I feel remorse,” he whispered. “I never felt remorse before...”

“Then you will never be like Nimbus.” Thundercracker reassured his brother. “Come, lets try to find Starscream and lighten this mood... Oh and Skywarp, Our dam was Darkstar's Sister.”

the dark Seeker grinned savagely “Then he can't get rid of us, we're family!”

“We need to remind him of this...Let him understand that even if war keeps us apart, we can always find each other again. If he rises in ranks, he can even request us as his team again. This departure is not forever. But it may even make us closer.”

The two Seekers eventually tracked Starscream down where they dragged him over to their extremely well hidden cache. He may have missed the party but they had plenty to drink on hand. They chose to celebrate the end of Academy together. After a while Starscream finally was made to believe that he could one day find them and acknowledged that they were indeed kin. He also agreed there was, in fact, a strong bond between them.