Trine... There was that word again. Starscream didn't know what it meant. Perhaps it was just a fancy word for unit or squad. One day the flier would ask Thundercracker about it. Right now, though, his wings flicked in response to the Seeker's. It was likely hard for the other jet to talk about such things openly. Starscream didn't want to push or force anything. It was just... Well that didn't seem like an environment that permitted for freedom to be who you were and to form close bonds with those with whom you fought side by side with.

Starscream knew what the other meant by 'glorious leader' and it still made him duck his helm a bit. He knew it wasn't his own Megatron, but still. The jet heard their Megatron wasn't quite as bad as Optronix, but the thought that a Megatron encouraged this sort of behavior was distressing...

"I'm sorry, Thundercracker."

And he was. Sorry didn't even cut it, really. Starscream was very empathetic, really. No one should ever have to live in fear or feel like they were less than nothing. He even shuddered, wings shaking slightly at the thought of a whip and hearing that a wing may or may not be attached. That... That wasn't punishment. That was torture.