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Jan. 13th, 2012 10:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
camwynTitle: A Disputation In The Dark [3/3]
Rating: G to PG (look, if the swordfight with Maleficent qualified for a G rating…)
Characters/Pairings: Starscream, Shockwave
Notes: This was originally published on Livejournal in July of 2009.
The minor planet 20000 Varuna orbits Sol at such a distance that its presence was only detected by the momentary disturbance it made when it occulted the light of a distant star. No planet-bound telescope could hope to catch sight of it. Even satellites set in Earth's orbit, probing endlessly outward into the deep and lonely skies, scarcely stand a chance. Space is vast, and Varuna tiny. No one looks for it much, or monitors it often. No telescope was turned Varuna's way on the day of the battle in Mission City.
A pity. They missed a hell of a fight.
Shockwave's leap was perfect, his arc unmarred by petty considerations like atmospheric drag. Starscream would admire it later, for all that he despised the mech who made it. He shoved himself sideways, priming his attitudinal thrusters for a massive burn. His only chance was to keep the other mech off balance, too rattled to plot his way through the fight. As it was, Shockwave's right fist landed a massive blow that sent Starscream spinning. - Call that a strike? - he taunted, righting himself. - I'm disappointed, Shockwave! -
- I call that a beginning, - the cycloptic mech answered, his optic burning like the light of an ancient star as he brought up his other arm. Aeons ago, he'd lost his left hand in combat. Another mech would have had it replaced, or upgraded; Shockwave had opted instead for a dedicated energy cannon. Starscream had seen it tear through Autobot prisoners' torsos, leaving nothing behind but glowing, slag-edged holes. Unleashing his own missiles was pure reflex, an instinctive need to give that thing other, smaller targets. And it worked- Shockwave fired on the incoming attacks, point defense shots swift and precise. Starscream rejoiced, lashing out at his enemy's other side while he was distracted, striking where the joint of arm and body were exposed.
The WHAM! of Shockwave's fist coming up to meet Starscream's midsection might have been silent, but it resounded through every part of his system nonetheless. - I don't need to think to take down missiles in vacuum, - Shockwave pointed out. - Autofire does it for me. Predictable, Starscream. Far too predictable. - His fingers flickered out of the fist, grasped the edge of Starscream's armor; as Starscream wrenched himself free, his feet shot out from under him, smashed away by an almost careless slam from one of Shockwave's feet. - But then, you always were- -
- You know nothing! - Starscream shot back, tucking and rolling away in the planetoid's low gravity. His feet found purchase on a minor outcropping; he pushed off, unfolded, opened fire. - Lurker! Skulker! When did you last take the field? Who'd you fight last? I've seen battles you'll never know! -
- And that's all you know. - Shockwave evaded Starscream's blasts with almost disgusting ease, shifting this or that body part halfway to alt mode rather than bothering to move. - Force, nothing more. -
- I have- aaaugh! - His transmission aborted in a burst of white noise as Shockwave's energy blast lanced through the space where his head had been mere microseconds before. - You missed! Since when do you miss? -
For answer there was only another blast, blindingly bright, and a third- and then Shockwave was there, on top of him, his lone optic filling Starscream's entire field of vision. - Oh, - Shockwave answered as his fingers clamped down on Starscream's neck, - I think I found my target. -
Starscream's servos locked in place across the board. He'd've fought back against any other mech, but Shockwave's cannon-hand was lodged against his midsection in such a way that the slighest twitch from Shockwave would send a pulse of incalculable energy straight through Starscream's spark chamber.
- You have enough sense to choose to live. Good. - Shockwave's head slid back fractionally. - I had begun to wonder. -
It took Starscream several seconds to process that. - You're not going to kill me? -
- No, - Shockwave said simply. He released Starscream's throat and stepped back, though his cannon remained primed to fire. - Insults mean nothing, Starscream. And my plans have no room in them for petty revenge. -
- Your plans, - Starscream repeated. - What did you have in mind? -
- Nothing more and nothing less than what Lord Megatron tasked me with in the beginning, - Shockwave answered. - Even before the war. There is more to this star's third planet than you know. -
- Oh, I can't wait to hear this, - Starscream sent, endeavoring to convey the feel of a skeptical mutter.
If Shockwave noticed, he gave no sign. - Tell me, - he said calmly. - What do you know of the Matrix of Leadership? -
- The what? - Starscream sputtered, staring at the other mech as if he'd grown another head. - Are you insane? That was lost so long ago it's nothing but legend! -
- No, Starscream, - Shockwave returned. - It may have been lost by the Second Prime and Second Lord, but that kind of power cannot be destroyed. I have been searching records and calculating chances since the day Lord Megatron first accepted me into his service and set me to guaranteeing his ultimate victory. It exists. And it is here. There was something almost like the sound of a smile to his signal as he added, - Why do you think the Allspark came to rest where it did? Power calls to power. Each of the Twelve gave a share of their own sparks to light the Matrix, and the last share- -
- Was lit by the Allspark itself, because the Fallen had passed into darkness, - Starscream finished, the words coming slowly out of long-stored memories of ancient myth. - So you think... -
- I don't think. I know, - Shockwave said, his tone alight with a mixture of logic and fanaticism that set Starscream's spark to trembling. - Come now. We must find our people and prepare. We'll return to Earth, of that you can be certain... and when we do, nothing will send us away again but the dissolution of our sparks. -
Rating: G to PG (look, if the swordfight with Maleficent qualified for a G rating…)
Characters/Pairings: Starscream, Shockwave
Notes: This was originally published on Livejournal in July of 2009.
The minor planet 20000 Varuna orbits Sol at such a distance that its presence was only detected by the momentary disturbance it made when it occulted the light of a distant star. No planet-bound telescope could hope to catch sight of it. Even satellites set in Earth's orbit, probing endlessly outward into the deep and lonely skies, scarcely stand a chance. Space is vast, and Varuna tiny. No one looks for it much, or monitors it often. No telescope was turned Varuna's way on the day of the battle in Mission City.
A pity. They missed a hell of a fight.
Shockwave's leap was perfect, his arc unmarred by petty considerations like atmospheric drag. Starscream would admire it later, for all that he despised the mech who made it. He shoved himself sideways, priming his attitudinal thrusters for a massive burn. His only chance was to keep the other mech off balance, too rattled to plot his way through the fight. As it was, Shockwave's right fist landed a massive blow that sent Starscream spinning. - Call that a strike? - he taunted, righting himself. - I'm disappointed, Shockwave! -
- I call that a beginning, - the cycloptic mech answered, his optic burning like the light of an ancient star as he brought up his other arm. Aeons ago, he'd lost his left hand in combat. Another mech would have had it replaced, or upgraded; Shockwave had opted instead for a dedicated energy cannon. Starscream had seen it tear through Autobot prisoners' torsos, leaving nothing behind but glowing, slag-edged holes. Unleashing his own missiles was pure reflex, an instinctive need to give that thing other, smaller targets. And it worked- Shockwave fired on the incoming attacks, point defense shots swift and precise. Starscream rejoiced, lashing out at his enemy's other side while he was distracted, striking where the joint of arm and body were exposed.
The WHAM! of Shockwave's fist coming up to meet Starscream's midsection might have been silent, but it resounded through every part of his system nonetheless. - I don't need to think to take down missiles in vacuum, - Shockwave pointed out. - Autofire does it for me. Predictable, Starscream. Far too predictable. - His fingers flickered out of the fist, grasped the edge of Starscream's armor; as Starscream wrenched himself free, his feet shot out from under him, smashed away by an almost careless slam from one of Shockwave's feet. - But then, you always were- -
- You know nothing! - Starscream shot back, tucking and rolling away in the planetoid's low gravity. His feet found purchase on a minor outcropping; he pushed off, unfolded, opened fire. - Lurker! Skulker! When did you last take the field? Who'd you fight last? I've seen battles you'll never know! -
- And that's all you know. - Shockwave evaded Starscream's blasts with almost disgusting ease, shifting this or that body part halfway to alt mode rather than bothering to move. - Force, nothing more. -
- I have- aaaugh! - His transmission aborted in a burst of white noise as Shockwave's energy blast lanced through the space where his head had been mere microseconds before. - You missed! Since when do you miss? -
For answer there was only another blast, blindingly bright, and a third- and then Shockwave was there, on top of him, his lone optic filling Starscream's entire field of vision. - Oh, - Shockwave answered as his fingers clamped down on Starscream's neck, - I think I found my target. -
Starscream's servos locked in place across the board. He'd've fought back against any other mech, but Shockwave's cannon-hand was lodged against his midsection in such a way that the slighest twitch from Shockwave would send a pulse of incalculable energy straight through Starscream's spark chamber.
- You have enough sense to choose to live. Good. - Shockwave's head slid back fractionally. - I had begun to wonder. -
It took Starscream several seconds to process that. - You're not going to kill me? -
- No, - Shockwave said simply. He released Starscream's throat and stepped back, though his cannon remained primed to fire. - Insults mean nothing, Starscream. And my plans have no room in them for petty revenge. -
- Your plans, - Starscream repeated. - What did you have in mind? -
- Nothing more and nothing less than what Lord Megatron tasked me with in the beginning, - Shockwave answered. - Even before the war. There is more to this star's third planet than you know. -
- Oh, I can't wait to hear this, - Starscream sent, endeavoring to convey the feel of a skeptical mutter.
If Shockwave noticed, he gave no sign. - Tell me, - he said calmly. - What do you know of the Matrix of Leadership? -
- The what? - Starscream sputtered, staring at the other mech as if he'd grown another head. - Are you insane? That was lost so long ago it's nothing but legend! -
- No, Starscream, - Shockwave returned. - It may have been lost by the Second Prime and Second Lord, but that kind of power cannot be destroyed. I have been searching records and calculating chances since the day Lord Megatron first accepted me into his service and set me to guaranteeing his ultimate victory. It exists. And it is here. There was something almost like the sound of a smile to his signal as he added, - Why do you think the Allspark came to rest where it did? Power calls to power. Each of the Twelve gave a share of their own sparks to light the Matrix, and the last share- -
- Was lit by the Allspark itself, because the Fallen had passed into darkness, - Starscream finished, the words coming slowly out of long-stored memories of ancient myth. - So you think... -
- I don't think. I know, - Shockwave said, his tone alight with a mixture of logic and fanaticism that set Starscream's spark to trembling. - Come now. We must find our people and prepare. We'll return to Earth, of that you can be certain... and when we do, nothing will send us away again but the dissolution of our sparks. -
