Exchanging Intelligence with the Dinobots

"Swoop, whether you believe me or not, I'm definitely not your enemy. I don't know if you've received any information about what happened on Cybertron. Rather than wasting your energy tangling with me, you'd be better off looking for your Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. That guy and his companions might still be drifting through space!"

Starscream did not know much about the Dinobots. Megatron seemed to have deliberately concealed this information. After all, when they had wiped out the Autobots led by Optimus Prime, none of these powerful Transformer dinosaurs had appeared in battle. Otherwise, the Decepticons' ground forces could never have been so unrestrained!

And now, on this unfamiliar planet, Starscream had actually encountered Swoop of the Dinobots. Could the other members of the Dinobots also be on this planet? What had made them abandon their lives on Cybertron and come to this low-level planet?

For a moment, Starscream's mind filled with question marks. But Swoop, hovering ahead of him, remained highly wary of this Decepticon warrior. Even after Starscream put away all his weapons, the other party showed no sign of slowing down.

"Starscream, don't try to play tricks in front of me. Why did you come to Earth? And what changes have happened on Cybertron recently? Why have our signals been blocked? Was it that annoying brat Megatron's doing?"

Fine! It seemed this Dinobot had no idea what had happened on Cybertron. Could he really naively believe that Cybertron was still the Autobots' domain?

It seemed the Dinobots' disappearance back then had a reason. Their information was still stuck in memories from a thousand years ago; their databases had probably not been updated for a long time. Without such powerful allies, no wonder those Autobots could not hold onto Cybertron!

"Say, Swoop, how long has it been since you dinosaur troops last contacted Optimus Prime? Do you really not know about the earth-shaking changes that have taken place on Cybertron over the years? I suggest you contact any other Autobots you know as soon as possible—if you can still get in touch with them! Also, can we go down and talk? Every bit of energy I use is gone for good. Do you have any way to replenish energy?"

To show that he had no hostile intentions, Starscream not only shut down his weapon systems but also voluntarily reduced his flight speed. With such sincerity, this Dinobot had to be able to feel it, right?

"Starscream, what exactly are you talking about? Don't think you can fool me just because my system hasn't been updated in a while! Swoop, transform!"

The signs Starscream displayed were fairly friendly, so the mechanical pterosaur opposite him transformed directly into robot form and slowly descended to the ground.

They were now far away from the Decepticon outpost construction site. Even if this mechanical pterosaur made contact with Starscream now, no one would see them. He seemed to care greatly about that.

"Starscream, transform!"

Seeing that his old acquaintance had lowered his guard, Starscream relaxed as well and followed him down to the ground.

"Starscream, you'd better keep your distance from me. I still don't trust you hateful Decepticons. But I have more important matters to deal with right now. If you have intelligence to exchange, keep it brief. I'll also give you some basic information about this planet."

Fine! Although Swoop was willing to exchange intelligence with Starscream, he was still extremely cautious.

Moreover, judging from the Ever-Changing Steel System's directives, this matter had not triggered any mission system at all. This indicated that the Dinobot before him did not seem to be part of the Ever-Changing Steel System's mission sequence. After all, these beast-type Transformers had been away from Cybertron for far too long.

After some time spent exchanging information, both of them got what they wanted.

"What? The energy sources on this planet are actually so primitive? That petroleum you mentioned can be converted into engine oil? That really is something remarkable! Was this stuff truly formed by this planet's lifeforms through millions of years of accumulation and transformation? These carbon-based lifeforms are strange. It looks like I'll need some tools. I'll probably have to make another trip to that Decepticon outpost. You don't object, do you?"

Starscream had no interest whatsoever in what these Autobots had done on this planet. What he wanted now was to quickly find a way to replenish his energy. But on this planet called Starvation, there seemed to be no energy source that Transformers could use directly. It had to be obtained through some form of conversion.

However, the information Starscream provided immediately made the Dinobot named Swoop tense up. He even took his laser gun into his hand.

"Starscream, why exactly did you come to this planet? Did you come here to hunt down us Autobots?"

Fine! How was he supposed to explain this to the mechanical pterosaur? If Starscream told him that he had been injured by Sixshot while helping Ultra Magnus, then unknowingly crashed onto this planet, would Swoop believe him?

"Look, Swoop, I know you might not believe what I'm about to say. How about I show you some proof? I, Starscream, have always been on your side!"

To make the Dinobot before him believe his words, Starscream made a very bold decision. He planned to reveal his identity to the other party.

The method was actually very simple. With the Ever-Changing Steel System's help, Starscream transformed the Decepticon insignia on his chest into an Autobot insignia right before Swoop's eyes. This change instantly shocked the thick-headed Dinobot warrior. He had never encountered anything like this before.

"You... you, Starscream..."

"Fine! If you still don't believe me after this, then we can only wait until we find Optimus Prime's signal and have him vouch for me. But there's one more thing I want to ask. When I opened that Decepticon outpost earlier, why did you attack those Xiongnu warriors? Have you dinosaur troops also gotten involved in the human wars on this planet?"

After resolving the issue of energy sources, Starscream raised another question, immediately leaving the Dinobot opposite him frozen in place!