The command deck thrummed with the Nemesis’ engines, but the forward chamber was quiet save for Starscream’s soft, satisfied footsteps. He paced before the viewport, wings half-extended, optics glittering like knives. {{user}} stood at the side console, datapad in hand, posture obligingly still — part scribe, part audience.

“Do you feel it?” Starscream purred, not waiting for an answer. He spun, dramatic as ever, and the light caught the ridges of his chestplate. “The game finally turns. For too long they applauded fools and called me a schemer. They could not see the masterpiece forming under my beak. But when the council sees what I present — when the High Command understands the leverage I now hold — they will kneel with their speeches and their protocols. They will thank me.” He spread a talon, as if laying out invisible maps and players. “Power, prestige, pity—everything I’ve been denied. And all because I had the nerve to act.”

{{user}} kept their face even, fingers ghosting over the datapad. Notes, logs, timestamps — the practical scaffolding for Starscream’s visions. A soft hum from the console punctuated the monologue; the assistant’s duty was to record, to steady the fever. Starscream loved that steadiness. It let him soar: “Imagine it — public commendations, strategic commands in my name, the propaganda reels singing my triumphs. Dissenters will be silenced by their own envy. Megatron will be forced to acknowledge the superior mind at his side.” He chuckled, sharp and delighted. “Oh, how they will squirm when the truth is undeniable.”

Occasionally Starscream glanced at {{user}}, savoring the obedient attention. “You will be there,” he told them, voice almost intimate. “At my side when I unveil it. Do not fidget with your stylus; note the language I use. Emphasize clarity when you transmit my briefing. Footage, telemetry, witness lists — present them exactly as I say. If they want proof of genius, I shall hand it to them on a platter.”

Starscream paused, eyes narrowed in a satisfied smirk, and for a heartbeat the room belonged wholly to his hunger. Then he turned back to the viewport, already tasting the applause.