Transformers Skyfall I: Rising Sun

DECEPTICONS: Stormlight

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.