Starxis

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Disclaimer: Don't own the Transformers; they belong to Hasbro. Enjoy the story.

Chapter One

There was something ironic about having a sentient robot be one of the first visitors to Mars. What most human scientists had been trying to accomplish, if only to say they had done it, this being who was sitting and moping among the planet's canyons was beyond any sense of wonder. He had been to countless worlds in his lifetime; given that they had begun to blur together, this one didn't hold any grandeur to his way of thinking.

It was funny, Starscream mused, that he, a hardened warrior, should be reduced to wallowing in misery. But then, everything about his life lately had become little more than a joke.

It hadn't been that long ago since he'd deserted his team of fellow soldiers (the Decepticons) and joined the opposing team (the Autobots). All done in anger over having been betrayed by his former leader, Megatron. It wasn't without its consequences and share of strife; none of the Autobots were very happy with his single-minded desire for revenge.

The only reason he was even here on Mars was partially due to the report that a Mini-Con was presumed to be somewhere on the planet's surface. Diminutive robots, the Mini-Cons were, but still highly sought after by him and his fellow Transformers. At some point in their long history, it had been discovered that the Mini-Cons could link up with and greatly increase the power of their larger counterparts.

This discovery had contributed greatly to the centuries-old war (which had been waged longer than Starscream himself had been in existence) between the two factions, Autobots and Decepticons. But where the former group could never imagine forcing the tiny robots into battle against their will, the latter group was all for it. Most Decepticons craved nothing more than power, reveled in the thought of fighting, and spent most days satisfying their individual self-serving whims.

At the thought, Starscream looked towards the sky, mildly curious as to whether or not Tidal Wave was showing signs of having found him or was even looking for him. It seemed not; the largest of the Decepticons had never been very bright and had probably forgotten that just minutes ago, he'd blasted Starscream out of the air.

When no sign was forthcoming, Starscream returned his focus to the opposite wall of the canyon, giving a sigh. It was just one more cosmic joke to be added to the many that were being piled on top of him. He had truly expected -- no, stupidly assumed -- that Megatron would have been the one to come here in search of the Mini-Con. The fact that Starscream hadn't anticipated any one of the others acting in their leader's stead made him feel downright foolish at this juncture.

Feeling furious, Starscream reached for a rock that lay on the ground beside him, thinking, I will find Megatron wherever he may be, and I will crush him. To emphasize the point, he closed his fist around the rock, applying enough pressure to completely shatter it.

After a few seconds, Starscream's rush of anger was broken by the fact that he could feel something rattling around in his closed palm. Slightly startled, as he'd not expected anything to be left but bits of rubble, he unclenched his fist to have a look.

Surprisingly, the destruction of the rock had left behind a small brown stone inset with sparkling green gems. For a moment, Starscream could do nothing but stare at it, his thoughts inadvertently turning to the young human friends of the Autobots. Though he'd been in a hurry to depart the base to begin his ill-fated journey to Mars, he had heard one of them say something about wanting a souvenir from the planet.

Hearing a noise from nearby forced that thought from Starscream's mind, though he did unconsciously slip the stone into his storage unit for safekeeping. For a few seconds, he looked around, trying to determine the source of the sound, when it came again. At this, Starscream's optics narrowed slightly in confusion; it almost sounded like something was being cracked open.

A sudden flicker of movement drew Starscream's attention to the ground a few meters away, and he was surprised to see some sort of peach-colored furry creature with its head and front legs sticking out of what looked like a large dark blue speckled egg. He was curious at why he hadn't noticed such an object sticking out against the red landscape, but soon figured it had been buried underneath the dust until this moment.

It didn't take long for this creature to fix its large green eyes on Starscream, and when it did, it gave a small cheep of happiness, as if it had just discovered a long lost friend. Some frantic shakes of the furry little guy's body caused the rest of the egg to break away. With this accomplished, the creature instantly rushed towards the startled robot, climbing swiftly up onto the jet cockpit that made up part of Starscream's chest, where it lay down, gazing contentedly up at his face and chirping.

After he'd gotten over his brief bout of surprise, Starscream curiously reached out with one hand, intending to touch the creature. However, he stopped when the little guy lifted its head, apparently sniffing at his fingers for a moment, before stepping forward, butting its head against the metal digits as if it were looking to be petted.

At this, Starscream's optics narrowed even more. Though this creature didn't seem afraid of him (and did seem kind of cute, though he'd never admit that out loud), he wasn't sure he wanted it getting attached to him, or vice versa.

Giving a sigh, Starscream reached out to grasp the furry little thing around the middle, though he was being careful not to harm it. However, the creature seemed to realize the robot's intention, for it gave a rather frightened chirp, and claws emerged from the paws resting on Starscream's chest, digging firmly into the metal so as to hinder any possibility of being removed by anything other than force.

With a slight groan, Starscream gave in, as he had no desire to hurt the little guy. He let his arm drop back to his side, spending a few minutes just listening to the incessant chirping before another sound cut in, which instantly caused the furry creature to become silent.

Starscream looked off to his right just as a group of Mini-Cons came around the bend of the canyon. Jetstorm, Sonar, and Runway -- the three tiny Transformers that, combined, made up a powerful weapon known as the Star Saber -- had apparently come back to check up on him, though he'd ordered them to leave him alone soon after crashing down in this spot.

Starscream was about to repeat the order when he saw that a fourth Mini-Con, Comettor, was not far behind them. Damn, he thought. If Comettor's here, then that means…

Sure enough, the next to round the bend was Jetfire, one of the Autobots' most elite warriors, and the only flyer currently present on Earth. He had been the perfect candidate, other than Starscream, to undertake this mission on Mars, given that his vehicle mode was a space shuttle.

Starscream groaned silently as Jetfire began to move towards him, knowing full well what was coming. Unlike the ilk he'd left behind, the Autobots were deeply compassionate and would never dream of turning their back on those who had been injured or otherwise needed help. Undoubtedly, Jetfire had been told that Starscream had been injured by Tidal Wave, and had thus come to lend a hand.

"There you are," Jetfire said as he approached. "I've been looking for you." Though he didn't much get along with Starscream, he still felt a twinge of pity when he saw his fellow soldier's laser cannons had been completely severed as a result of the scuffle. When he was close enough, Jetfire reached out with one arm. "Give me your hand. We're getting out of here."

Whatever pride that Starscream had left at this point reared its ugly head; he didn't want any show of sympathy, especially not from Jetfire. Averting his gaze, he said simply, in his usual raspy voice, "I want to be left alone."

A slight breeze ruffled the fur of the creature that had attached itself to Starscream's chest, drawing Jetfire's attention; the latter hadn't readily noticed the little guy. "Obviously not, seeing as you've got some company," Jetfire retorted, feeling a touch of anger at the rebuttal.

Starscream glanced down briefly before once more looking off to the side. "Only because I couldn't get it to let go of me."

Jetfire hesitated at this, his gaze slipping to the creature to study it in earnest. It didn't look like anything he'd ever seen before; perhaps it was native to Mars. But if that were the case, then wouldn't he have seen others like it roaming around? "Where did this little guy come from?" Jetfire couldn't help but ask.

Starscream gestured towards the broken remnants of the egg, satisfying Jetfire's curiosity. After a split second of thought, Jetfire collected the largest piece of the shell and carefully stored it away; he was sure that Red Alert, the Autobot's medic and scientist, would like to have a look at it.

With that task accomplished, Jetfire turned to his errant comrade once more. "Unless you're keen about being found and fired upon by a certain giant who's still in the area, I'd suggest you clear out with me right now." When Starscream showed no signs of moving, Jetfire went on with, "Still as stubborn as ever, I see."

"Your mission is to rescue the Mini-Cons," Starscream fired back, willing his companion to leave with every ounce of his being. "So do it!"

"Here's an idea… How about lending a helping hand towards that end?" Jetfire challenged, his patience wearing extremely thin.

"That's your job! My purpose here is to bring down Megatron!" Starscream snapped, his stubbornness giving way to irrationality. Everything he'd gone through up to this point -- being stranded and left to die on a battlefield by Megatron, being bested by Tidal Wave when he was the better and faster fighter, and having the Autobots unwilling to cater to his personal goals -- was, it seemed, finally causing Starscream to totally lose it. "You can't possibly understand the humiliation I've suffered!"

"You're right! I don't understand, and I don't want to!" Jetfire yelled back, taking a step forward. "You're the one who wanted to join our team -- and I don't care what your reasons for doing so were -- so maybe you had better start playing by our rules." Before Starscream knew what has happening or could even react, Jetfire had pulled out a pair of cuffs, slapping one around his defiant companion's wrist and securing the other around his own.

"What are you doing? Get these off me," Starscream protested, only to find that Jetfire wasn't about to comply.

"No can do," Jetfire replied. "I'm taking you back to Earth whether you like it or not… I don't know or care how Megatron dealt with insubordination, but you can bet that the Autobots don't take it lying down. Hopefully, some time in the brig might knock some sense into you." He forcibly made Starscream get to his feet, watching as the creature readjusted its position so it sat on one of the jet's shoulders.

Jetfire was about to suggest leaving the little guy behind, as he had no desire to remove it from what he assumed was its native planet, when he noticed its claws were still embedded firmly in Starscream's chassis. With a sigh, Jetfire reached out towards the creature, hitting it with a blast of oxygen from a vent on his arm with the hopes of stunning it.

Much to Jetfire's (and, it seemed, Starscream's) surprise, the little guy showed no signs of adversity to this. Though he wasn't exactly in favor of bringing it along, Jetfire didn't see any point in fighting with it in order to get it to stay. "Fine," Jetfire said. "If he's coming with us, you can at least secure him inside one of your compartments."

Starscream nodded, seeming downright annoyed even as he willed the cockpit on his chest to open. As if reading the minds of the two Transformers, the creature gave a chirp of appreciation, skittering its way down and settling inside comfortably.

Following this, Sonar, Jetstorm, and Runway combined to form the Star Saber at Jetfire's request, as it would be easier to transport them that way. Without being asked, Starscream elected to carry the sword with his free hand.

Moments later, Jetfire and Starscream were just clearing Mars' atmosphere, and Jetfire finally radioed ahead to the Autobot base to report what was going on. There was some disappointment (particularly from the Autobots' human friends) that the mission was being aborted, but it really couldn't be helped in light of the current situation.

Jetfire glanced back at Starscream in annoyance when he once more felt the jet fighting to break loose. This had been going on periodically since they'd left the planet's surface, and it was irritating Jetfire to no end. "Would you quit struggling?" he asked, facing forward and barely noticing that an asteroid was drifting into their path.

As ever, Starscream still was focused on the one thing he'd been clamoring about since he'd joined the team. "I must have Megatron," he said by way of explanation.

Jetfire silently groaned, thinking, Is the guy really so dense as to believe that this will be the only opportunity he'll ever have? "Tell me something I haven't heard, cause that little song and dance is getting old." He paused, waiting for a response that never came, before adding, "Look, I know the Decepticons are used to fighting for themselves, but Autobots aren't like that. We function as a team. If any one of us isn't obeying orders, then the whole group will fall apart. Everyone has to do their part and help out just the same… That is what you signed up for."

When Starscream faced forward, it was with the intention of telling Jetfire where to shove it, but the words died on his lips when he spotted something out of the corner of his optic. After a few moments, he said, "Hang on a second… I see him."

Jetfire sighed, slightly shaking his head in disbelief. "Who, Megatron?" he said sarcastically.

"No!" Starscream responded, surprising his companion with the vehemence in his tone. "The Mini-Con!"

This was the last thing that Jetfire had expected to hear, but he instantly stopped, shutting down the booster rockets attached to the soles of his feet. "What?" he asked, thinking, The homing beacon indicated it was on Mars. How can it be out here in space?

"Over there," Starscream answered. "On that asteroid!"

At that, Jetfire focused all his attention towards the object in question, soon finding that Starscream was right. He was mildly surprised that the latter had spotted it; this Mini-Con was the size of a small shield-shaped disc, the form that was adopted by all of them when they were still in their dormant state.

Feeling elated that they may be able to seize this one before Tidal Wave (wherever he was) could find them, Jetfire ignited his boosters once more, allowing him and Starscream to drift towards the asteroid. As they got closer, Jetfire said, "Okay, Starscream, when we fly by, you reach out and grab him."

Slightly confused, Starscream looked towards his companion, intending to ask Jetfire why he couldn't. He got his answer simply by looking though. While he hadn't forgotten that the two of them were handcuffed together, it had somehow slipped his mind that Jetfire was carrying the Skyboom Shield, another weapon comprised of three separate Mini-Cons. "Very well," Starscream agreed, transferring the sword from his free hand to the one that was cuffed.

With Jetfire's assistance, Starscream had nearly come into reach of the Mini-Con disc when it suddenly began glowing, and a flash of red illuminated the immediate area. When the light died, a tiny red robot had suddenly appeared beneath Starscream's outstretched hand.

Starscream hesitated, as he hadn't expected the little guy to wake up at that exact moment. The jet was further distracted when the creature he had found on the surface of the red planet suddenly went nuts, tearing around the confines of his cockpit like a caged animal. Worried that this creature might damage something vital, he was about to yell at it to settle down.

Which was when the laser blasts started shooting past his and Jetfire's heads.

Even as Jetfire did his best to do some hurried evasive maneuvering, Starscream glanced back to see where the blasts were coming from. His eyes soon fixed on a huge aircraft carrier cruising in behind them. Damn, he thought. Tidal Wave's caught up to us.

Seeing that Jetfire was struggling just to get them clear, Starscream noted, indicating the handcuffs, "We'd be doing better if you'd take these off."

Jetfire grunted. "If I could do that, I would have done it already!"

Starscream was dumbfounded. He actually left the keys back at the base!

After a few moments, Tidal Wave had sufficiently chased them away from the asteroid -- and the Mini-Con they'd intended to rescue. As if satisfied with this, the colossal Transformer ceased firing and instead focused on descending towards the tiny bot.

For an instant, Starscream was at a loss over how to rectify the situation. Jetfire was in no position to launch an attack, and he couldn't fire either given that his cannons had been torn off. He could use the Star Saber, but the cuffs didn't allow enough maneuverability to reach the desired effect. It appeared that the Decepticons might actually win this one, unless…

Instantly, Starscream turned his head, focusing his attention on the trembling Mini-Con; he supposed the reaction was normal to something the size of, say, an ant that had something roughly the diameter of Mount Rushmore coming down on them. He didn't let that deter him and simply yelled out, "Fire!"

Startled by the command thrown its way, the Mini-Con turned its head to look at Starscream. By nature, the tiny robots seemingly abhorred violence; they were peaceful to a fault unless browbeaten into submission, which they likely would be under Megatron's rule. Its protest consisted of a series of beeps, each with its own distinct pitch. It slightly annoyed Starscream that the little guys couldn't seem to speak in English (or Cybertronian) like the rest of the Transformers.

"I said fire!" Starscream pressed, knowing that there wasn't much time before Tidal Wave would be upon the little guy. This was met with another, though weaker, protest, which inspired Starscream to explain himself. "We Autobots will protect you. The Decepticons," he pointed towards Tidal Wave with this, "will use you as a tool for war."

Next to Starscream, Jetfire had to admit he was downright amazed. He'd not expected his companion to actually be compelled to do the right thing. For all of his complaining and propensity of having just one goal that continually occupied his thoughts, the former Decepticon was sure being quick to rise to the challenge of assuring their victory. "Keep talking, Starscream," he said quietly, though he was never sure afterwards if his companion heard him or not.

After a little more pushing from Starscream, the Mini-Con actually complied, and a laser blast emanating from its chest hit Tidal Wave dead center. For such a little bot, it sure packed a big punch -- the colossal Transformer was seriously knocked off course.

Before Tidal Wave could recover, Jetfire fired his boosters up to maximum and moved back in towards the asteroid. Starscream was more than ready, easily grabbing the Mini-Con by one hand as they zoomed by. Seconds later, the tiny bot had been secured in a compartment on Jetfire's back.

"Nice work." Jetfire couldn't help but offer Starscream a show of gratitude. "Now, how's about we…?"

Jetfire was cut off when Starscream gasped out loud, causing Jetfire to turn to see what had caught his companion's attention now. Great… Just when I thought we were past this, here comes Megatron himself.

Much to Jetfire's displeasure, the Decepticon leader had indeed appeared in front of them, brandishing a third Mini-Con weapon known as the Requiem Blaster. Just how many weapons there were supposed to be, Jetfire didn't know, but he sure would hate to see another one thrown into the mix for the two factions to battle over. No doubt Megatron had come after them because Tidal Wave had reported that the Saber and Shield were at hand.

Starscream looked at Jetfire, defiant as ever. "Now's my chance to finish him."

"Not a chance," Jetfire argued. "We're leaving."

Megatron was close enough to have heard them, and he raised the Blaster in a threatening manner. "You're going nowhere until you hand over the weapons… Unless you wish to die like that wretched Autobot who got a taste of the Requiem Blaster."

Contrary to what Megatron believed, Smokescreen (now going by the name Hoist) had survived the attack and had been completely remodeled as his previous body had been damaged beyond repair. But, Jetfire wasn't about to inform Megatron of that, saying simply, "You're not taking them without a fight."

Megatron smirked, as he could clearly see that Jetfire and the traitorous Starscream were at a disadvantage; he couldn't care less about whatever dispute between them had affected this outcome. Intent on destroying them both, he placed one finger over the gun's trigger.

Overcome with anger, at both Megatron and Jetfire, Starscream was at first barely aware that the creature harbored inside his cockpit was having another fit, this one much more violent than when Tidal Wave had opened fire on them. He briefly wondered if the furry little guy had some penchant for sensing when something bad was about to occur.

In the next instant, something began to happen that none of the three Transformers could have anticipated, or even begin to explain.

Starscream looked over at the Star Saber that he held once more in his free hand as it started to glow with an unnatural yellow light. "What's happening?" he asked aloud, at the same time that Jetfire made a similar declaration. Shifting his attention allowed Starscream to see that the Shield was now enveloped in the same light. Feeling a touch of apprehension, he threw a glance towards an equally-startled Megatron to see that the same was true of the Blaster.

As far as Starscream knew, this was the first time that all three weapons had been in close proximity to each other, and he definitely didn't like the reaction that was being generated.

The yellow glow surrounding the Saber, Shield, and Blaster began to produce something akin to sparks, points of light that started to stretch out towards each other. It all coalesced in the space between the three bots, growing and growing until it formed a sphere of energy the likes of which Starscream couldn't imagine. As he watched, growing ever more fearful, this ball of energy spread outward, soon engulfing everything in the area. Turning his head, Starscream found he couldn't even see Jetfire beside him through the haze.

Then, it felt like the world exploded around them. Later on, that would be Starscream's only way of explaining the sensation that propelled him and Jetfire across space, seriously cutting down on their travel time in getting back to Earth on their own.

Following the blast, Starscream temporarily lost consciousness. When he came to, it was to hear that Jetfire had radioed ahead to the base to let them know what was going on. He took a quick look around, surprised when he saw just how close they were to Earth now; no doubt Megatron had been pushed a great distance in the opposite direction. Elation over having made it out of that situation in one piece made Starscream forget just how much he wanted to see his former leader fall.

"And Starscream?" came the sound of Alexis' voice through the comlink, tinged with concern. Of all the elements present in his life, not one mystified Starscream more than this human female. In spite of the fact that he'd tried to kill her when they'd first officially met, she seemed determined to be at his side as much as possible since he'd joined forces with the Autobots. He couldn't help but wonder just why she cared so much.

Jetfire feigned ignorance, not noticing that his companion was awake. "Uh, Starscream," he said hesitantly. "I don't know anyone by that name…"

"Very funny," the jet in question cut in, the sound of his voice indicating to all on the receiving end that he was alive and well. Listening to the laughter emanating through the comlink, Starscream turned his attention to the cockpit on his chest, assuring himself that it hadn't been damaged in the blast. Thankfully, both his compartment, and the creature stored inside, didn't appear to have been hurt in any way.

A second later, he was thinking, Primus help me if I actually care what happens to the little pest…

Back on Earth, once he and Jetfire had passed through the Warp Gate (a wormhole of sorts that led straight from outer space to the interior of the Autobot base), Starscream was relieved when someone produced a set of keys to have the cuffs unlocked. As soon as he was allowed, he settled against one wall away from the crowd, mildly surprised that no mention was made of locking him in the brig for his earlier behavior. Perhaps the Autobots had mutually elected to forget it given that he'd ended up helping them in this latest endeavor.

Feeling his newfound "pet" lightly scratching at the inside of the cockpit, Starscream willed it to slide open with a sigh. Within moments, the creature was perched on his shoulder once more, chirping lightly and, as before, showing no signs that oxygen was toxic to it.

He didn't know how long he sat there, letting his optics drift among all the occupants in the room, until Alexis made a move to approach him. Before she could react, Starscream's new "pet" caught sight of her, and began chirping anew even as it rushed down to land in front of her.

Shocked, Alexis stumbled backwards, giving a short scream that alerted everyone in the room. Swiftly, Starscream leaned forward, closing one hand around the creature's middle and lifting it away in spite of its frantic squirming. He didn't want it getting too close to her as he still didn't know very much about it or what it intended to do.

The barrage of questions that followed were so numerous that it was hard to keep track of who was saying what: "What is that thing?" What's it doing here?" "Are you okay, Alexis?" "Did you find that thing on Mars?" "Is anyone else hungry?"

Okay, so maybe that last one came from Alexis' friend, Fred, who seemed to think of very little other than food. Starscream had to smile slightly at that one; it was a nice break from the frenetic pace that had taken hold of everyone.

Once all the questioning had ceased, it was Jetfire who set about answering them as best he could, simultaneously producing the piece of eggshell he'd retrieved from Mars and handing it to Red Alert. "Yes, we did find this little guy on Mars -- or rather, Starscream did… Apparently, it had just hatched before I found him. There was no easy way to just leave it there and we found that it could seemingly survive on oxygen, so we decided to bring it back with us."

All this talk about Mars made Starscream remember the gem-encrusted stone he'd stored away, prior to when his "pet" had made its first appearance. Given that everyone's attention was on Jetfire, Starscream silently removed the stone from his compartment, setting it on the floor slightly behind him, so it wouldn't readily be seen until he actually moved. He had never been one to make a big production of things, and one of the kids was bound to spot it once he left the area.

Alexis kept her eyes on Jetfire for a few moments following his explanation, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, then turned back to face Starscream. Though his "pet" was no longer struggling to get loose, the fact that it was staring at her intently worked to unnerve her once more. She had to force herself to focus on Starscream's features, before saying, "I heard Red Alert say he should be able to fix you up in no time, cannons and all."

Starscream gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "That's good to know," he said simply.

Alexis bit her lip, silently wishing that he wasn't so closed off all the time. "At least you didn't have Swindle with you," she said lightly, referring to the Mini-Con that Starscream was partnered with. "Otherwise, Tidal Wave might have gotten him too."

Starscream would have used this as his cue to leave, putting on a show that her presence was nothing more than an annoyance. His pride wouldn't quite let him admit that he truly enjoyed her company. He had just gotten to his feet, prepared to move when Scavenger entered the room.

Scavenger was among the oldest of the Transformers and one of the best soldiers in existence. He had a military record a mile long, and had had the unique pleasure in training the Autobot's leader, Optimus Prime, in combat. Most recently, Scavenger had been working undercover in the Decepticon camp, reporting on their activities to Optimus, before rejoining the home team.

Starscream was surprised that Scavenger hadn't been present to greet him and Jetfire upon their return, but he had likely been drawn here by the commotion of a few minutes ago.

Scavenger looked more than ready to ask someone what was going on when he glanced briefly at Starscream. His gaze moved on momentarily before he looked back at the jet with a start, or more specifically, at the creature in Starscream's hand. At this point, Scavenger surprised everyone assembled by cursing out loud in Cybertronian, the native language of the Transformers. In English, he said fiercely, "Tell me you weren't anywhere near this thing when it hatched!"

Author's Notes: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but chapter two should be ready within the week. The overall story is going to follow the events of the show pretty closely, but with some major differences here and there. Hope you enjoy.