"Oh yes of course, I'm merely exaggerating," Starscream snaps with only the barest effort put into sounding convincing. He needed to get off this line of conversation immediately, he realizes, before he crossed the line and accidentally made Orion more suspicious. As aggravated as he was he still had a healthy sense of self preservation, and alerting Orion to the truth of the situation he was in could only mean disaster.

He takes a calming vent and sets the datapad down, willing his frame to relax just a bit. He had a duty to attend to here. He eyes Orion up, measuring his words carefully. "I... apologize. Any issues that I have with Lord Megatron are strictly between the two of us and not a topic for idle gossip or venting."

(As if he wouldn't gladly bitch and moan to another Decepticon if he had the chance. )

"Lets focus on your issues instead; you said you had some manner of inquiry...?"