These were her first six quartex as First Delegate. it's strange.
Windblade spent most of her life as a cityspeaker, that's usually what she was. Now she wasn't just the spokesbot for someone else, now was her own bot, and the First Delegate of Cybertron.
It's... something.
In her quarters, on lying the sofa, she reflects on everything she's been through and everything she's lived to get to this point, remembering how she originally was when she left Cadimus, and then everything she went through to become the leader of Cybertron.
...
Her CPU keeps returning to him, even though she tries not to.
How could not?
Even though it leaves a bitter taste in her intake. Starscream was probably the one who MOST influenced her maturation, she has to admit.
If she went from being that innocent and naive 'Bot to becoming what she is today, it was because of Starscream. She became more perceptive and managed to see the grayer shades of society. Just as she saw that, even hate it, even the bot you would trust with your life can commit cruel acts. She unconsciously remembers what Chromia did...
But at the same time, this only reinforced her beliefs.
Windblade gets up and goes to the window, leaning out, observing the view.
When Starscream ruled Cybertron, he used all the control he could muster. His rule, in her old view, was egocentric and selfish, but he also had great ideas on how to improve Cybertron and make it better, as well as always being able to identify and deal with corrupt politicians who tried to get ahelm.
But this also only reinforced an violent and almost dictatorial Cybertron. He had good ideas, but his selfish way prevented him from connecting with the spark of Cybertron; the citizens. But today she sees that it wasn't just selfishness, it was an inability to report to others; how could someone who had never received compassion show it?
—She tries not to think about how he acquired that, remembering the expression of absolute terror he had when Virgilem assumed the form of Megatron—
But nowadays, she can understand him, at least a little more than before. Egocentric? Yes, but she can also see it differently now; she can see that he is essentially a mech craving attention. And, after what she learned about him, a traumatized and bitter bot who pushes everyone away, firmly believing that no one would ever care about him, and that everyone would always be against him. A bot who wanted to be loved but couldn't believe in anything that wasn't superficial. A bot who, for fear of getting hurt again, believed that fame was the closest thing he could get to be loved.
Too bad it took her so long to realize that.
Through the window, she looked at the sky, her CPU returning to the seeker in jail.
She can't say he didn't deserve it, after everything he did. But she also can't say she doesn't feel bad for him. In the end, she admits that they both matured with each other; she became more mature about how the world works, and he became, she dares say, kinder? Innocent? She can't tell. But he changed, he evolved too, since he saved her a few times, and even freed Chromia after her arrest.
Looking at the sky and thinking about him, she wished had more time to get to know him better, to learn more about him, to know and understand his traumas. At least try to understand him better. To understand he's side of the story, something that, for some reason, she feels no one ever did.
Not even her.
Returning to the sofa, she sit down again, staring upwards, thinking about her last conversation with Starscream, feeling a pang of regret for not having said or make more for him.
Time passes in silence until, suddenly, a series of desperate knocks awakens her from her reverie. Opening the door, she finds the last bot she expected to find.
Starscream.
A Starscream with an exhausted and battered appearance. "h-help..."
She can't even ask 'What are you doing outside of jail?' before he fell on top of her.
"You... you were the only I could think of who could help me..." He murmurs.
Frag. She's screwed.