The kids watched as Ratchet worked. Usually he would do these repairs in the med bay, but it the giant patient he was working on proved too big. Instead, Ratchet had carried out all his medical supplies and took over the main room as his work area. The other Autobots were sitting to the side, watching their doctor work.

“He isn’t too damaged.” Ratchet said with a sigh.  “Starscream was being truthful that he crashed at least, the cold put him into thermic-induced stasis.”

“Meaning?” Jack pushed, leaning over the railing to get a better look at the giant white mech. He had wings like Starscream, but was larger than even Megatron, and his body was white and stocky.

Ratchet gave him an annoyed look briefly. “The cold put him into a coma, in earth terms. We, as a species, can survive certain extreme conditions by putting ourselves into life support, or stasis mode, and his plating was thick enough for his internals to survive after he crashed.”

“Then we should question Starscream on this,”Optimus Prime said, “if he knows this mech.”

“You can’t trust anything Starscream says!” Arcee said angrily, clenching her fists.

“Yeah, I’m don’t think he’ll talk.”

Bumblebee interjected, “ You didn’t see him guys, he was… desperate to get him out. ” He beeped.

“I agree with Bee.” Raph said, looking over. “As soon as the signal came online, Starscream beelined for it. It wasn’t even a Decepticon signal, so he has to have some connection.”

Ratchet just grunted.

“Can we question him?” Miko asked, unbelievably excited as ever.

“Absolutely not!!” More than one bot said.

Miko pouted. “But! I have a reason!” She said.

“What is it?” Optimus asked.

“He doesn’t trust you guys, but Decepticons don’t see us as a threat! If we pester him enough, I’m sure he’ll say something he wouldn’t tell you guys!?

“That’s such a stupid- Optimus! Don’t tell me you’re entertaining this idiotic-“

-

Optimus let them in, with Wheeljack as guard. In his words, “I believe Miko might have a point.”

Which translated from Optimus speak, likely meant ‘I don’t have any other ideas.’

-

“Bah! I don’t even understand why they let you in here if you are only going to annoy me!” Starscream said venomously, scowling down at the kids.

Miko smirked. “Just spill it, toothpick legs.”

“Hah! You want a story, well I have something to tell you.” Starscream scoffed, sitting in the corner of his cell. “Not like the Autobots will hear me out anyways.”

“Soooooo?” Miko said.

“Fine!” Starscream relented.

Jack suppressed a smile. Maybe Optimus just knew Miko was a better interrogator for this specific case.

“His name was - is. His name is Skyfire.” Starscream started.

-

It happened before the war started, when the Decepticons were still a new movement for change. I hadn’t joined-

-

“Wait, you weren’t always apart of the Decepticons?” Miko asked.

“No!” Starscream hissed. “I joined soon after the war started like everyone else. Now shush!”

“As I was saying…” Starscream said.

-

Before I joined the Decepticons, I was a scientist explorer. Oh, right. You don’t know- Our job was to survey the galaxy for sentient life and energon sources. We were friends back then, and partners on these expeditions. His alt mode was a soace shuttle though, almost never used for science. But Skyfire was brilliant as I was even back then.

Skyfire and I had been on a few survey trips before, but this was our first big one. It would propel my career upwards drastically, and he would finally start getting some recognition for his work.

We approached own uncharted planet at the time, and it happened to be this one.

-

“Here? As in earth?” Raph asked. Starscream nodded, seemingly undisturbed by the interjection.

“This planet, or the planet around the core rather, was in… what did your databases call it…” Starscream said as he thought,claw on chin, “Ah! The Miocene period.”

Miko and Jack looked to Raph expectantly, who was on his computer. “That was … after the dinosaurs but before the ice age.” Raph roughly translated.

“Bit of an oversimplification, but yes.” Starscream said smugly.

-

Earth was rich in organic life and energy sources even back then, but no signs of civilizations or intelligent life. If I could be frank, it was a great candidate for energy extraction.

-

“… rude.” Miko said.

-

I thought the mission was a success, but Skyfire insisted we get a closer look at the life here. He was always enamoured with evolving planets, so we did so.

But… we then entered the arctic. Skyfire wanted to observe something, and got even closer despite the danger. And I didn’t stop him.

A storm picked up suddenly, throwing us this way and that. We got separated. It took me what felt like hours to right myself, and I managed to get out, but I couldn’t find Skyfire. Even when I re-entered the storm, I couldn’t detect his signal.

-

“I circled half the globe looking for him. But he was gone.” Starscream said somberly. He stared a the wall, looking at nothing. Or maybe seeing something no one else could.

The kids didn’t know what to say, and Wheeljack didn’t either. It was… sad. A sad story from someone they only saw as a monster or a nuisance. It was a tragedy he was telling, feelings bubbling under his plating.

“… I had to return eventually.” Starscream said then, scowl coming back to his face.

-

After I realized I was running low on supplies and couldn’t keep searching for him, I made my way to the nearest spacebridge and jumped to Cybertron. I always intended to come back.

I tried.

I tried to arrange a rescue party, and begged anyone who I could find to listen, but no one did. Even your precious Optimus Prime.

Eventually, someone did notice he was missing and he was presumed dead. No one even tried to look for him.

I was barred as a scientist soon after, since no one else wanted to work with a dirty flier. I’m sure they all thought me a murderer, or too incompetent to keep their partner alive. They saw me as a pest. A nuisance. I was in a place where I didn’t belong, and I could never be a true scientist to them.

-

Starscream glared at them and Wheeljack now, still sitting against the wall of his cell. “I think you can figure out the rest.” He said spitefully, his claw itching at his chest.

“… I think times up.” Wheeljack said. “Time to go guys.”

The kids left, and seeing the Autobots they knew that they had been listening.

Optimus was unreadable, as he always was.