Autobots' Last Stand

"Damn Starscream! We'll avenge Fortress Maximus! We'll remember this!"

Perhaps because they had seen the giant warrior slowly collapse, aside from the few Autobot leaders who knew the truth, the vast majority of ordinary Autobot soldiers blamed Fortress Maximus's fall on Starscream!

But this was no time for grief. Under Megatron's command, the Decepticons' ground forces had already surged forward in full force. Though most of those before them were low-level Decepticon soldiers, there were simply too many of them. Combined with their coordinated volleys in formation, their multicolored laser fire instantly blanketed the entire battlefield.

"All Autobot leader warriors, get to the front! Cover the civilians as they retreat toward that red marker! Save as many escape pods as you can!"

In such a dire situation, Optimus Prime had no room to consider any other escape route. He could only grit his teeth and retreat in the direction Starscream had indicated. And if that cunning Decepticon air commander had given them false information, then today would be the day the Autobots were wiped out, and Optimus Prime would become part of Cybertron's history.

So this was not merely Optimus Prime's gamble—it was the Autobots' last stand.

"Lord Megatron, those appear to be the Autobots' Arks. I never expected them to have prepared so many Arks for escape. We need to stop them quickly!"

Soundwave was the first to discover the Autobot Arks. He possessed the Decepticons' most advanced radar system, so the moment anything seemed amiss, he detected it immediately.

"Soundwave, from this point on, you do not need to report to me. Destroy every Ark you find. Without the protection of their Arks, even if those weak Autobots escape by chance, they will eventually exhaust their energy during their long drift through space and become heaps of scrap metal!"

All right! It seemed Megatron had predicted this situation long ago. He had even prepared a "perfect" ending for those fleeing Autobots.

And so, the most brutal scene of the Autobots' final evacuation began.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Boom! Boom!

Massive missiles shot out one after another, equipped with the Decepticons' strongest guidance and targeting systems. Once they locked onto a target, they would pursue those Autobot Arks to the ends of the universe. Unless they could hold out until the Decepticon missiles ran out of energy, destruction was their only fate.

Like fireworks during a festival, the dark expanse of space was soon transformed by flashes from explosions of every kind. And every point of light meant that an Ark carrying dozens of Autobots had been hit. The lives and sparks of its passengers would gradually dim with time, and then...

"Optimus Prime, this won't work! The Decepticons' space weapons are too tightly defended. Not a single shuttle has been able to break through their dense firepower. We've already lost contact with more than three hundred civilians. We can't keep going like this, can we?"

All right, even if the direction Starscream had given was correct, it was all useless if they could not cross the wall of fire controlled by Soundwave. Now was the time to test Optimus Prime's leadership as the Autobot commander!

"Put every Autobot warrior capable of using a weapon into individual pods. We'll use ourselves as weapons to carve out a path to survival for our comrades!"

All right! Who said only Decepticons were capable of doing the unthinkable? Push the Autobots too far, and they would fight you to the death as well.

Along the escape route the Autobots had prepared long ago, aside from the large Arks carrying civilians, there were also smaller individual pods intended for the final covering force to withdraw in. Once the top hatch was opened, those brave Autobot warriors could extend their weapons outside and fire. Of course, such attacks could only destroy missiles without directional awareness. If they encountered high-level flying Decepticons like Starscream, they could only wait to become targets.

Yes, this was where Starscream's covert aid to the Autobots showed. Before the battle began, under the pretext of currying favor with Megatron, he had transferred all the capable and battle-hungry flying robots among the Decepticons elsewhere. Those left behind were merely lower-level ordinary Transformers. With Optimus Prime and the others' marksmanship, one pull of the trigger was enough to take one down...

But even so, the number of Autobot Arks that truly reached the designated location was only in the single digits. In other words, including powerful Autobot leader warriors like Optimus Prime, fewer than two hundred Autobot warriors had likely survived and reached their destination in the end. (The Arks carried roughly fewer than 190 Autobot civilians.)

"Damn Autobots! So many of them got away! I'm going after them and will twist off Optimus Prime's head as an offering to Megatron!"

The one shouting was naturally Skywarp, the one who loved showing off most. Even though Starscream had sent him elsewhere, more than three hundred Autobot civilians and ordinary soldiers had still died at the hands of Skywarp and his flying force. There was nothing to be done about that!

But just as he attempted to pursue the last Autobot ship ahead, a red figure swiftly flew before his squadron and blocked Skywarp's path.

It was, of course, Starscream. Although things had gone somewhat beyond expectations, Starscream had personally seen Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Bumblebee successfully break through. An Ark carrying Autobot civilians seemed to have escaped with them as well.

Then, under the Ever-Changing Steel System's prompt, Starscream saw that the number of people rescued in his mission progress had settled at 198. That meant 198 Autobots had successfully left Cybertron with Starscream's help.

"Commander Starscream, what are you doing? My flying force and I can capture that Autobot leader very soon!"

Skywarp wore an eager expression, desperate to claim credit, but he failed to notice the shifting light in Starscream's mechanical eyes.

"You little brat, are you trying to get me into trouble? Didn't you read the tactical map I sent you earlier? The region ahead, including the space we're hovering in right now, belongs to Great Dinosaur Saurus. Don't tell me you don't know who that guy is?"

All right! This was the ultimate escape plan Starscream had devised to help the Autobots!