Starscream and Ultra Magnus: What's the Difference?

"What? There are two Ultra Magnuses? Did your lousy system make a mistake? Wait a second—could Optimus Prime have done this? That guy seems to be Ultra Magnus's brother, and the two of them transform into similar forms. Scan them again!"

Although Sixshot was a well-informed Decepticon warrior, even with his current intelligence, he probably could not make sense of what was happening before him. So, he made a perfectly reasonable deduction.

Everyone knew that Ultra Magnus's brother was Optimus Prime. And aside from Optimus Prime, which other Autobot could wipe out so many Decepticon warriors in an instant? On top of that, both brothers transformed into trucks, so it was perfectly normal for Sixshot's radar system to confuse them.

"After comparison, the two Autobot warriors rapidly leaving the area ahead are both Ultra Magnus. No information related to Optimus Prime has been detected!"

All right! This truly left Sixshot bewildered. How could two Ultra Magnuses suddenly appear in this world? If there really were two of them, how could Sixshot, his old rival, not know?

"All right! Let's see what these two Ultra Magnuses are all about. Lock onto the one flying in the sky. I have a feeling that one is fake. This time, I'll expose his true face!"

This was the instinct of a high-ranking Decepticon warrior. Before him were two fleeing Ultra Magnuses: one in robot form flying through the air, and the other in truck form speeding through the space passage.

Judging from their outward forms, the one in the sky seemed stronger, so he naturally became Sixshot's first target.

"Target locked. Beginning full-spectrum pursuit!"

After choosing his target, Sixshot transformed into a massive spaceship and chased after him at top speed.

As Sixshot's old rival, Ultra Magnus immediately noticed the annoying tail behind him and quickly exchanged information with the disguised figure in the sky.

"Are you our Autobot companion, or are you that Decepticon, Starscream? Why did you come to the Wanderer to save me?"

"I'd appreciate it if you still called me Ultra Magnus. We haven't completely escaped the Decepticons' radar range yet, so this will make it easier to confuse them. Do you understand what I mean?"

After promising Optimus Prime that he would only contact him directly, Starscream intended to keep his word. Although the one before him was Optimus Prime's younger brother, Ultra Magnus, a promise was a promise. The fewer people who knew Starscream's identity, the safer it was for everyone.

"All right! Whether you're Starscream or Ultra Magnus, I have to tell you that we're in trouble. My old rival Sixshot seems to have noticed our trail. His ability to track prey is among the best in the universe. Have you heard of him?"

"So the one who locked onto me is the legendary Sixshot! I read his personal file at the Decepticon base. Can that guy really transform into six forms? Keep driving forward. At your speed, in another ten minutes, those Cybertron guys won't be able to track you anymore. As for Sixshot, leave him to me. I've been wanting to test myself against this so-called expert and see how he differs from the legends!"

Starscream said this to reassure Ultra Magnus. In truth, he knew very well how strong Sixshot was. Back when the Decepticons of Cybertron had compiled an unofficial combat-power ranking, Megatron could only rank seventh, while Sixshot was fifth. That alone showed how terrifying he was!

But if Ultra Magnus could not escape their clutches, then would all of Starscream's previous efforts not have been in vain?

Since Sixshot had set his sights on him, he might as well see what made this expert, ranked fifth in the Decepticons' internal combat-power rankings, so exceptional.

"Fine, but be careful! I, Ultra Magnus, always repay a favor. No matter where we meet in the future, I'll owe you my life. Take care of yourself!"

After the two Transformers finished speaking, Ultra Magnus continued accelerating on his way, while Starscream stopped in midair and quietly awaited his opponent's arrival. Of course, Starscream could maintain his current transformed form for about another eighteen minutes, which should be enough to ensure Ultra Magnus's safe departure.

He had thought the final 10% progress would be easy to obtain, but then that damned Sixshot had appeared halfway through. Man proposed, but fate disposed!

Because Starscream had stopped, Sixshot soon arrived. However, he did not immediately attack his old rival. Instead, he transformed back into the robot form from earlier.

"Sixshot, transform!"

"Heh, I didn't expect us two old friends to meet again! As I recall, you don't come to Cybertron very often, do you? Did you come today specifically to see off an old friend like me?"

Since Starscream was using a disguise created by the Ever-Changing Steel System, he now looked and sounded exactly like the genuine Ultra Magnus. The surprise in Sixshot's eyes made that clear.

"You really are Ultra Magnus. Then the one running on the ground was the imposter? Or are neither of you the real Ultra Magnus?"

Sixshot was not so easily fooled. Although the guy before him looked exactly like Ultra Magnus, and even his speech rhythm and tone matched Sixshot's memories perfectly, for some reason, Sixshot still felt that the one standing before him was a fake.

"As for whether I'm real or fake, that depends on your ability to judge. But I have a suggestion: to avoid attracting more Decepticons looking to join the fun, let's save our battle for next time!"

All right, Starscream had never intended to fight Sixshot head-on. In a sense, his courage was utterly incomparable to that of the real Ultra Magnus, and that was exactly what Sixshot sensed was wrong.

"Heh, who exactly are you? The real Ultra Magnus is just like his single-minded brother, Optimus Prime. Even if his energy were about to run out, he would never think of fleeing before a battle!"

This was probably Starscream's greatest flaw.