Starscream's Secret Rendezvous

"Damn Autobots! And you call yourselves warriors of justice? Is what you're doing now something righteous Transformers would do? All Decepticon warriors, attack! Turn every last one of these damn Autobots into scrap metal!"

Fortress Maximus's actions had truly enraged Megatron. The guy had always been a hypocrite—he allowed his own subordinates to do whatever they pleased, yet he couldn't stand watching the Autobots struggle on the brink of death. The moment he saw Shockwave completely captured by Fortress Maximus, he immediately ordered a full-scale assault.

It wasn't that he wanted to rescue Shockwave. After all, the Decepticons were never that kindhearted. Rather, Fortress Maximus had ruined Megatron's plans time and time again, making the Decepticon leader lose face. So today, he had to find a way to wipe out all these Autobots here. Only then would Megatron have no worries hanging over him, and perhaps he would be able to live more comfortably in Cybertron's future days!

"Received! We've been waiting for this moment. Let's tear all these Autobots into parts, then turn them into specimens for future generations to admire!"

"Exactly. But it'd be such a waste to dismantle those female Autobots just like that, wouldn't it?"

"You idiot, I think about this stuff all day long. Don't you know Lord Soundwave has already perfected the Spark Converter? When the time comes, we just need to take out those female Autobots' Sparks and convert them into Decepticon-style ones. Then just wait and see the Decepticon hotties!"

"Hahaha! Then we have even more reason to take down that Optimus Prime today. Just looking at him pisses me off!"

"Oh, give it a rest. Just make sure he doesn't take you down instead! I heard Optimus Prime is a high-level warrior who can fight Lord Megatron for a hundred rounds without falling behind. Save your breath, kid. If you can take out Ironhide, that'll already be a huge achievement!"

Well, it seemed the ordinary Decepticon soldiers were quite arrogant too. Did they think Optimus Prime or Ironhide were Autobots they could eliminate whenever they felt like it? They were seriously underestimating them.

After all, in a one-on-one fight, even Megatron, the current Decepticon leader, might not be Optimus Prime's match, much less these first-generation Decepticon soldiers.

"What the hell are you brats babbling about? Didn't you see Boss Megatron's order for a full assault? Check your weapons and equipment right now! On my command, launch air-to-ground missiles at the Autobots' forward positions!"

Just as those flying Decepticons circled overhead boasting, the Decepticon air force commander, Starscream, arrived. He gave them a harsh scolding right off the bat, and they all obediently shut their mouths.

But it was unclear whether Starscream was deliberately showing Megatron his incompetence, forcing the boss to personally step in to settle everything, or whether he had some other scheme in mind.

In any case, the bombing targets Starscream gave them would not harm even half an Autobot soldier. Yet the bombardment would cover a vast area in flames and smoke, reducing visibility to virtually zero and blinding radar with all kinds of interference.

Still, the Decepticon fliers knew Starscream well. They also knew that spoiling Megatron's mood would cause them plenty of trouble later, so they meticulously followed Starscream's orders.

Yet no one noticed that once the Autobots' forward positions were completely shrouded in dust and smoke, a red aircraft silently slipped inside.

Well, Starscream's move was indeed extremely risky, but it was the only way he could think of to contact Optimus Prime.

Unfortunately, fate was not on his side. Not only did Starscream fail to encounter Optimus Prime, he was intercepted by the barely alive Fortress Maximus instead.

"Decepticon brat, the road ahead is completely blocked to you! I'll give you two choices now. One, get shot down by my fists. Two, obediently become my prisoner. Perhaps the energy in your body, like that Shockwave from before, can help keep my body running for a while!"

Well, Starscream had risked his life to come seek a rendezvous with the Autobots, only to seemingly get intercepted by Fortress Maximus.

That feeling was truly bittersweet!

"Fortress Maximus, do you really think you can break out of the encirclement with your current strength? Only by retreating along the route I, Starscream, have chosen for you will you have even a sliver of hope! You big guy don't have much time left either, do you? Take me to Optimus Prime now. Once you see him, you'll understand everything!"

Although he did not know whether it would work, Starscream still tried to communicate with the super Autobot warrior before him. To his surprise, an expression of unbelievable shock appeared on the other's face.

"You... aren't you Megatron's right-hand man? Why should I trust you?"

"Then bring Elita here instead. She can prove who I am. If I hadn't cooperated last time, did you think you could have rescued them so smoothly? And if I hadn't caused trouble at the right moment, did you think Megatron would have retreated so quickly?"

This concerned the Autobots' survival, and at the same time, it was the critical point in whether Starscream could complete the mission assigned by the system.

So even if the chances were slim, Starscream had to do his best to win the big guy's trust. Besides, he had a feeling that Optimus Prime might be able to hear every word they said!

"Fortress Maximus, although I don't really trust this Starscream either, based on our previous battlefield analysis, if we continue holding our current defensive formation, the probability of us being wiped out is over 95%. At the very least, have Starscream show us the defensive perimeter map outside Cybertron first!"

Just as expected, the Autobots' internal communications system was still fully connected, allowing them to keep track of firsthand battlefield information at any time. Perhaps a tiny flaw could lead to total defeat, while likewise, a tiny gap among the Decepticons might let these elite Autobot warriors escape alive.

"Starscream, I've already told Optimus Prime about your situation. If you're sincere, then open your map and show it to me. I can transmit it to my companions simultaneously!"

Well, although Fortress Maximus's eyes still held a guarded look, did the Autobots have any choice left now?