no one mourns the wicked

[thanksoptimus]

Who: Optimus Prime and AUTOBOTS
Where: The Autobot campground.
When: The evening/night after the dance off.
What: Orion Pax has been restored to his past and future self. Optimus Prime is NOT HAPPY. Also, very very tired.
Warnings: Injuries, intense robot ass devastation. Angry dad. Angry mom.

Optimus Prime, unlike Orion Pax, leaves no time for argument or complaint. After he's finished dealing with Megatron, he orders the Autobots to roll out, provided assistance to injured comrades where necessary. He takes no assistance for himself.

Which is stupid, because after days of starvation and torture and minus the burst of power from the Matrix he was utilizing just before, he is extremely fucked up. It's less obvious that he's on his last legs than it might be with some bots, but he is very injured and trying hard to pretend that he isn't. He drives back to base by his own means, and doesn't speak but to give the occasional order until they are there.

He wants everyone safe and tended to and organized, and he needs to have a talk with just about everyone on the team, and besides that he needs to catch up with everything he hadn't been paying attention to as Orion Pax...he doesn't see how he could possibly take a rest quite yet, there is too much stuff to do, and if he made it this far he can make it a little bit father.

More than tired, though, he is angry. He's angry at Megatron, angry at some of his team, and angry at himself. He doesn't pause to talk to anyone once they get back to camp, and immediately starts to ineffectually try to organize things with as few words as possible.

[Feel free to tag in as someone at any point in this, including later in the night or the next day. He will probably pass out in the medibay within the hour, though. Either that or Ratchet will get him.]

Comments

[thanksoptimus]

"Yes, I am certain you would have been fully capable of administering your own horrors, given the need," Optimus says. It's all very crisp and clean and uncompromising. Not outright giving a verdict but more or less allowing Starscream to terrify himself.

[starscheme]

"It wasn't as if I wanted to!" he bursts out, growing increasingly frantic. "The Decepticons, they... they are my charges as much as his, and Megatron was not doing right by them. I was desperate, I needed to do something! As a fellow leader, surely you of all people can understand that." He tucks his head down, keeping his stance low and non-threatening, and peers up at Optimus with wide optics. "Besides, in a way you really have me to thank for the successful return of the Matrix to its rightful bearer, so alls well that ends well, right?"

[thanksoptimus]

Optimus is no so convinced. But there is something about those assertions that interests him.

"And what would you say that he was doing incorrectly?" Megatron is a lot of things, but a poor commander is generally not one of them.

[starscheme]

Oh, are they shit talking mutual enemies now? Starscream can do that. He can definitely do that just fine. Maybe this is the opening he needs to save himself

"Oh, his faults are many. He treats all of his followers, myself included of course, like dirt; he abuses us, refuses to listen to our advice despite keeping us as advisors... But you know of this already, I'm sure. Up until recently I was content to deal with it as an occupational hazard, but then his failings started to affect our overall progress."

He pauses to sigh dramatically before continuing. "After we obtained the forge and returned to the Conquest... He went and hid himself for days. It was unlike anything I've seen in all of our time together. Our troops were growing restless with inaction, and time was running short. When I addressed the matter with him, he threatened to scrap me! And that, as the humans say, was the final straw."

[thanksoptimus]

Okay, well, if Starscream is going to talk about this so readily he may as well get what information he can. The thing about Megatron sounds extremely suspect. What the hell was that bastard doing?

Though he really does wonder what Decepticons expect of a leader like him. It is not as if Megatron has pretended to be any different.

"If often wonder how Megatron's followers can continue to be surprised by his behaviour, given the foundations upon which the Decepticon cause is built," he says coolly. "Though hiding is indeed unusual."

[starscheme]

"What was strange is that it wasn't just your average hiding. I have known him to partake in periods of time where he prefers his solitude to wandering amongst the troops," he offers readily (pointedly ignoring that jab about the Decepticons). "The odd thing was his timing and refusal to issue any further commands. We were fully prepared to launch a follow up assault but he seemed unsually reluctant about the idea."

Well. He knows why Megatron was reluctant, or can at least draw his own conclusions based on how their argument went, but bringing that up to Optimus right now seems less than ideal.

[thanksoptimus]

And yet that is the information that Optimus finds himself specifically wanting. Honestly, from his angle, none of Megatron's hesitation and personal drama has been obvious. From his side, all if it seemed like a cold, calculated betrayal.

"Reluctant to acquire his prisoner?"

He can at least guess at that, considering that Starscream obviously considered that to be the next move, and it what the Seeker ultimately ended up doing.

[starscheme]

"Ah- well. Yes, actually..." Starscream trails off, blinking owlishly up at him. He ferventy hopes that this isn't going to become about Megatron's weird gay emotions, that is just way too goddamn uncomfortable of a conversation to have.

[thanksoptimus]

Optimus doesn't really grasp why. "Weird gay emotions" as a reason seems childish and silly as an assumption. There clearly must be something more devious afoot. Megatron certainly hadn't hesitated once Orion - once Optimus - was in his grasp.

"And he was not forthcoming as to why?"

[starscheme]

"Ah. No. No he was not... he was certainly very guarded about the matter, I can tell you that much." Once again, he's not technically lying; Megatron was definitely not forthcoming about his reasons in that conversation. Even still, Starscream avoids eye contact and fidgets at his cuffs nervously.

[thanksoptimus]

The worst fucking liar in the universe, some days. Optimus raises his eyebrow.

"Is there something that I do not know, Starscream?" he asks.

[starscheme]

"Well... Now that is an odd question, I mean I imagine that there are many things in this world that you do not know, but then again who does, know everything that there is to know, I mean. I certainly do not. I wouldn't be too hard on yourself about it though, it's a shortcoming that we all share."

Okay maybe humor isn't the best tactic to take with Optimus Prime, but it's at least fairly obvious that he's not lying out of ill intent for once in his life. He just wants to spare his own chassis.

[thanksoptimus]

Which means that Optimus has to know even more than he did before. So he just glares at Starscream with a look of sharp impatience.

"Commander Starscream..."

Don't waste his time please.

[starscheme]

"Yes?" He says brightly, tapping his fingers together and smiling. Perfectly sweet, perfectly innocent.

[thanksoptimus]

By the Allspark this bot is annoying.

"Starscream you are obviously avoiding a subject and I would like to know what it is," he says.

[starscheme]

Look, the feeling is mutual. Why can't this guy just leave this alone.

Starscream lets out a low, grunting whine and ex-vents heavily, deflating. "I'm sure you realize that Megatron and I have an extensive history together... Working side by side for millennia, I've become something of an expert in reading his mannerisms, and his more subtle behaviors..."

He never thought he'd have to use the words 'Megatron' and 'subtle' in a sentence together, but here they are.

"Any other supposed information that I have is purely speculation based off of this prior knowledge."

[thanksoptimus]

Well that makes sense and everything - sense enough. But what doesn't make sense is why Starscream seems to wound up about it. What could he be guessing that would make him so nervous?

"Then why are you so nervous?" he asks.

[starscheme]

Rather than explain his nervousness, Starscream decides to just lay the facts bare and let Optimus try and figure out the rest for himself.

"It seemed to me that he was... unusually distressed after the battle for the forge. He deliberately seemed freluctnat about seeing yo- about seeing Orion Pax again, so soon after the conflict. For what reason, I really cannot say."

[thanksoptimus]

Optimus's eyes narrow - not out of anger, but out of suspicion. What does he think he's playing at, with that? Was that supposed to mean that Megatron had been somehow uncomfortable in his presence?

The idea irritates him. Mostly due to how little it stopped him, in the end.

"I see."

[starscheme]

Starscream, in his 'delicate' state, is more prone to interpret it as anger. He holds his hands up and open defensively (as much as he can with the restriction of the cuffs, anyway), flinching a bit.

"Well you asked. Honest to Primus, that's my honest interpretation of the facts, take them or leave them. If I knew what he had been up to in the fight before hand that may have caused such a reaction, I might be able to interpret for your further, but as things are right now that is not knowledge that I have access to."

[thanksoptimus]

Well, he had mostly been deciding that there was no point in pretending that he wasn't a monster anymore, with over the top laugh and all. Though Optimus does remember a conversation they had, where Megatron had almost been self righteous about his ability to better care for Orion than the Autobots.

"Calm down, Starscream," he says, finally. "I do not intend to harm you."

[starscheme]

He clenches his fists in mild surprise and glances away. "Ah. Well... yes. Of course."

After a brief moment he cautiously glances back again. "Ahem. Is there... ah, anything else, that I can assist you with then?" He sounds guarded. Please say that they're done here, or at least move onto a topic other than their mutual ex-boyfriend's weird emotional constipation, this is so goddamn uncomfortable for him to talk about.

[thanksoptimus]

If Optimus had ever been a bot comfortable with the concept of doing things 'an eye for an eye' then Starscream certainly would have had something coming. But really, it doesn't isn't worth it. It isn't as if he doesn't get more than enough of that from Megatron anyway.

He doesn't understand why he stays. In the past he might have had some hope that things could be turned around for Starscream, but in the wake of the last few months, it's been pretty well proven that genuine kindness does nothing to earn the Seeker's loyalty.

"If I find myself needing further information, I will come to you. As it is...I am uncertain of how to handle your stay here, in the future. Captives are not intended to be held here indefinitely."

At a larger outpost they would probably have something meant for prisoners of war, but even so, it's not as if Starscream is actually a member of the Decepticons at the moment.

[starscheme]

'How to handle' his stay here? That doesn't exactly raise any confidence in the ex-con. He hadn't even considered that there might be any issue with keeping him here, and the implication only adds worry to his already considerably full plate.

"But I promise to be on my best behavior," he says helpfully, looking contrite. "If you would take under consideration the possibility of removing the clamp, you likely won't even hear a peep out of me; the damn thing is awfully hard on a bots flight sensors and I'm getting an awful crick, and it's not like I can fly out of here anyway."

He garnishes the request with another sheepish, but this time oddly sincere, smile.

[thanksoptimus]

He doesn't mean he's considering killing you Starscream holy shit. He gives Starscream a tired look.

"Yes. However, I am certain you would consider being kept in this environment permanently cruel." A few days or a few weeks wouldn't concern Optimus much at this point, but presently the only option is to keep Starscream in the brig for the months or years this mission might take. There was the possibility that he could be shipped off planet at a later date, but the Seeker was only going to get more bored with time, and with his boredom would come trouble.

He is conflicted about this, for reasons of varying validity. Part of him does want revenge, somehow. The part of him that still feels on edge from what he had experienced as Orion. The part of him that felt genuinely betrayed by someone he thought might have been his friend.

But he has never used another's cruelty as an opportunity to match their level, so why should he now?

"I am willing to remove the clamp for you, if you are sincere in your willingness to cooperate."