System failure averted. Authorizing boot-up procedures. Initializing system diagnostic...
Severe abdominal damage. No additional problems detected. Terminating hibernation.
Ugh, I can already tell that this is going to be some kind of pattern so long as I'm here, Starscream mused as he stirred from his discharge induced hibernation. His eyes opened to reveal a dreary black stone ceiling, and a quick glance around the room he was in showed that the floor and walls were similar. The room was quite spacious.
There was a doorway in the corner of the room opposite of where he lay, which was on a stone slab that matched the room's coloration. Above the doorway was a single torch, which bore a large green flame that illuminated the entire room and gave everything in it a greenish hue. In the center of the room, a few paces away from the slab that he rested on, was a small round table, also made of black stone. No chairs surrounded it, but on it sat a clipboard, a quill, a bowl of water, and a dandelion sandwich.
That was when Starscream noticed that he was not alone in the room. Standing near him was one of the smaller creatures from before, though it'd be hard to say if it was one of the exact same ones he had seen. Also in the room, more specifically, sitting across from him at the table, was the same tall creature from before.
His movements immediately caught the attention of both of the creatures, and the smaller one grabbed the clipboard and quill from the table and began to scribble things down. He could only assume that it was taking notes about him, as he was the alien in the room. However, the tall one simply sat there, staring at him as he lay on his back.
Starscream rolled over and tried to sit up, slowly pushing himself into somewhat of a sitting position, his chest sparking with every move. Just to be safe, he refrained from making any large or jerky movements so as to not agitate his wound. Once on his haunches, he gave the room a secondary scan. Nothing else popped out at him, and his eyes eventually rested on the food and water placed on the table before the tall creature.
It seemed to notice where his attention was directed, and it nudged the bowl and the plate that contained the food towards him. I'm no prisoner here, he noted as he observed the thing's hospitality. The smaller creature continued to jot things down on the clipboard.
The Decepticon made no move to retrieve the offered nourishment, and instead continued to stare at it. After a few seconds, the smaller creature stopped writing and looked up to the taller creature. The tall one gave a small nod, and the small one set down the clipboard to instead grab the bowl and plate. It brought them over to Starscream, carefully setting them down next to him before retreating back to the side of its obvious master. The creatures seemed to at least understand nonverbal commands, so he slightly shook his head from side to side. The tall one gave him a confused glance, but its minion nonetheless took the food and water away and set them back on the table.
Starscream looked towards the tall creature, meeting its gaze. He quickly broke eye contact after finally noticing one confusing thing: this creature was starving. It was obvious that it was; its bones, or at least its ribs, jut out of its sides. Its face was incredibly thin, showing off every jagged point that its skull contained. Yet, despite this, it was willingly giving up its food to him for no apparent reason.
He looked to the small one, only to find that it was in a similarly poor state, but before he could make any more observations, the door to his room opened and another one of the things trotted in. It looked up towards the tall one, who seemed unperturbed by the interruption. “My queen,” it said in a buzzy voice with a solemn and apologetic tone, “I have some...bad news.” Its ears drooped. “I'm sorry to say, but...we lost him.”
They...they...they speak my language?! Starscream thought, baffled.
The Queen frowned and her eyes became ever so slightly more reflective. “It was only a matter of time,” said the Queen, her voice sounding like more than one speaking at once, not unlike Galvatron's. “I will see to it that he is remembered for his services.” She stood and made towards the open doorway. “Please, ensure our guest is given anything it needs,” she commanded. The smaller creatures nodded, staying behind as the Queen left the room.
It wasn't until about a minute after she left that Starscream got over the fact that they spoke the same language, at which point he diverted his attention to the two small creatures that were accompanying him, each staring at him in what he assumed were curious glances. The atmosphere was tense and the situation awkward, so Starscream decided to try to get something productive done.
The sooner I repair myself, the sooner I can get out of here and leave these things alone. He looked down to the wound and to his front hooves. Realization struck. I don't have hands...slag! He struck the stone he sat on in rage, and a crack spider-webbed from where his hoof made contact.
The two creatures backed away in fear. “Do you...need anything?” asked the one who had been using the clipboard in a quivering voice.
Starscream panted angrily, but quickly calmed himself before nodding no as a response.
“The Queen should be informed of this; we may need some guards,” he heard one whisper to the other, to which the other agreed. The one that had come in late left the room to do so, leaving the other near the door, just in case Starscream became violent again. Starscream sighed and resigned himself to staring at the crack he had made, and the questions that had plagued his mind before rose up again.
After about an hour of absence, the Queen returned to the threshold Starscream's room, where she noticed the large crack Starscream had made herself.
“You were right,” she said to the short one that had left before. “This thing could be dangerous.” Starscream looked to her as she walked fully in, followed by the one that had left, who was also followed by two more of the short creatures, one of which had a hammer around its waist and a round shield on its back, while the other had a sledgehammer slung around it.
Upon seeing the weapons, Starscream sat upright, his wings flaring out and weapon springing to its standby position, ready to be drawn.
The group of creatures were startled at first, justifiably so. But then, surprisingly, the queen began to chuckle. “Ah, stallions are always the same, aren't they?” she asked no one in particular. “They see a beautiful mare, and they just can't control their wings, can they?”
...what?
Her chuckling died down quickly. She cleared he throat, then gave a heavy and sad sigh, which was followed up by silence. Starscream's wings, in response, folded back to be by his sides again. She looked to Starscream, and he returned the gaze. “Leave us,” she commanded to her followers. “Guards by the door, you other two, be off elsewhere.” They all complied and left the room, closing the door behind them.
Once they were all out of the room, she approached him, stopping when only a couple of feet separated them. “You can understand me, can't you?” she asked. Starscream gave no response. “I know you can,” she continued. “I know how to read body language, and you have seemed to react in ways that are appropriate for the situation. I'll ask again, do you understand me?” There was nothing malicious or devious about the way she spoke. Although uninterested in interacting with the locals, he figured no harm could come of informing her that he could understand. Reluctantly, he nodded in confirmation.
“What are you?” she asked.
He sighed before responding. “I am Starscream, a transformer,” he replied, his already raspy voice cracking from having not been used for at least a half day.
“It's nice to meet you, Starscream,” the Queen answered. “My name is Chrysalis, queen of the changelings.” She stepped back to give Starscream some more space and sat down. “Where are you from, Starscream?”
“From the planet Cybertron,” he grunted. “I don't know where that is relative to here, but wherever 'here' is, it's not where I should be.” Again, Starscream sighed. “I would recommend that you let me go. I don't belong here, and I wouldn't want to disrupt anything."
Chrysalis released a light laugh. “I'm not keeping you; you may leave if you wish. But, Starscream, changelings are a kind that also don't belong here. You'll fit right in.”