//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Screams Among the Stars 
// Story: Light Our Darkest Hour 
// by Dat Dash 
//------------------------------//

All was not well on the planet Earth. Though the Great War between the Autobots and Decepticons had ended over a decade prior, the peace that followed had not been a smooth one, especially for the Decepticons. Understandably rejected by the Earthlings, they had retreated into exile on Earth's moon, where Galvatron's barely-recovered mental health was being strained by the cycle. The Decepticon leader pondered his place in the universe upon his throne, when he suddenly felt a sensation he had not felt in twelve Earth years...

"Ｗʜᴀᴛ　ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇｓ　ʏᴏᴜ，　Ｇᴀʟᴠᴀᴛʀᴏɴ？" asked Soundwave, the eternally-loyal communications officer.

But Galvatron paid no attention to his subordinate's words, for his mind was filled with the echoes of a voice he had long ago hoped he would never hear again, even after his sanity chips were damaged by his "plasma bath" on the planet Thrull.

"Galvatron... you have failed me..."

"No... no..." Galvatron muttered quietly.

"And since you have been replaced as my Herald... your existence is useless to me." Unicron's voice was blaring in Galvatron's mind, drowning out all other sound in the room.

"No... please..." pleaded Galvatron, but it was too late. His purple metal plating turned gray and began to crumble off of his body, revealing the silver machine underneath that had seemingly died long ago.

He had regressed into Megatron.

Scourge and Cyclonus, too, had their armor stripped away, returning them to their past forms of Thundercracker and Skywarp, respectively.

"Soundwave," said Megatron desperately, "Unicron has returned! We must contact Optimus Prime at once!"

"Ｉᴍᴘᴏｓｓɪʙʟᴇ," Soundwave replied, "Ｐʀɪᴍᴇ　ᴀɴᴅ　ғᴏᴜʀ　ᴏᴛʜᴇʀｓ　ʜᴀᴠᴇ　ᴅᴇᴘᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ　ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ　ᴛʜᴇ　Ｓᴘᴀᴄᴇ　Ｂʀɪᴅɢᴇ．Ｃᴏ－ᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀᴛᴇｓ：　Ｕɴᴋɴᴏᴡɴ．"


"Then we must follow them!" replied Megatron, "If Unicron has returned, it will be the death of us all!"

"Ａｓ　ʏᴏᴜ　ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ，　Ｍᴇɢᴀᴛʀᴏɴ．A ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ." 

The Decepticons flew off through space for the Space Bridge.

"It's good to be back, Soundwave" said Megatron smugly. "Though I wish the circumstances were less... dire," he added, his smile fading.

At that moment, a familiar screeching voice could be heard from behind them.

"I thought you had been reformatted, Megatron," said the ghost of the traitorous Starscream, "Why ditch the new look?"

Megatron scowled as he turned towards the phantom. Even in death, Starscream was still an annoyance. 

"Starscream, you fool, Unicron lives!" said Megatron.

"Yeah, and the universe is screwed if we don't give the Autobots the sitrep! So get lost, Screamer!" added Skywarp.

"Working with the Autobots?" replied Starscream smugly before cackling maniacally, "And you said my coronation was a bad joke."

"Ｓᴛᴀʀｓᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ，　ᴛʜᴇ　ᴡᴀʀ　ɪｓ　ᴏᴠᴇʀ　－－　ғɪɴɪｓʜᴇᴅ，" Soundwave explained.

"No! It never ends, Soundwave! And mark my words, I will lead the Decepticons to victory!"

"And we thought Galvatron was delusional," quipped Thundercracker to Skywarp, upon which the latter chuckled to himself.

"I HEARD THAT!" shouted Starscream angrily. "DON'T INTERRUPT MY SPEECH, THUNDERCRACKER!!"

"We must warn the Autobots about Unicron! And we don't need your presence getting in the way!" Megatron chided.

"Then I'll take the fight to them!" said Starscream as he drifted towards the Space Bridge.

"AFTER HIM!" shouted Megatron as he and the Decepticons gave chase.