Chapter 126: Target ...Attack the Pyramid
"Hey, Big Cat, how are you feeling? Several parts came loose during that forced transformation. I had the human servants collect them for you see if you can reattach everything!"
Just as Starscream was communicating with the Transformers System inside him, the robotic ant reappeared. Of course, this guy had no idea what his subordinate was really doing. Seeing the Great Cat staring downward and mumbling to himself, he assumed the forced transformation had fried his circuits.
"Ugh!"
Although he seemed frustrated, Starscream was already used to deceiving this robotic ant. All he had to do was act stiff and unresponsive to get the information he wanted.
Perhaps because the Fallen had neglected him, this robotic ant would constantly ramble whenever he was around Starscream most of it nonsense, but sometimes containing surprisingly useful details.
"My good brother, don't be bored! We're about to launch a major operation. We're going to destroy an ancient Decepticon resistance base. Once we've subdued those guys, we'll have enough power to wipe out all the Autobots on this planet and then we can carry out our master's final plan!"
"Good! It seems this Fallen isn't entirely stupid. At least he understands the difference in power between himself and the Autobots. If he sent these fools against them now, the chance of failure would be enormous."
This Fallen had tried to completely transform this planet hundreds of millions of years ago but underestimated the Autobots' strength, leading to his downfall. Add to that the emergence of the supersoldier called Grimlock and the fact that this unlucky Decepticon ancestor was sealed again about a thousand years ago those painful lessons should have taught him something.
Besides, the Decepticons have never truly been united since ancient times. There's always been a faction with ideals that clash with the Fallen's, opposing him. But those guys aren't true Autobots either and unless they're eliminated, they'll always be a thorn in the Fallen's side!
"Roar?"
Hearing the devil mention this grand plan, Starscream immediately let out a questioning roar. The robotic ant beside him, who'd spent plenty of time with him, instantly understood what his little brother meant.
"They didn't tell me the specifics of the operation just that you and I are in charge of logistics. We're supposed to cross the entire Eurasian continent, enter that mysterious land called Africa, and attack a Decepticon resistance base there. I think it's called a pyramid… anyway, it's a structure far beyond what ordinary human civilization on this planet could build."
To make it clearer for Starscream, the devil projected a holographic image directly from his eyes a magnificent, ancient-looking pyramid.
What's going on?
Have the Decepticons always been obsessed with internal conflict since the Fallen's era? Starscream had always heard as much. For instance, the current leader of Cybertron is nominally Megatron, but the northern and southern regions are occupied by the massive dinosaur warlords Salas and Sarkaz.
These two Decepticon lords appear to obey Megatron, but when it comes to contributing personnel or resources, they're uncooperative. Much of Cybertron's outer-region resources have secretly been seized by them. Megatron has been so enraged he nearly rebelled several times but in the end, he always gives in after weighing the cost.
It seems the Fallen is plagued by the same problem!
"Come on, come on! What are you two doing? Didn't you hear the assembly signal? Hahaha, oh right I never told you! Quickly, gather your supplies and order those colossi to move out!"
Just as the devil's monologue reached its crucial point, the newly promoted warrior Tarantulas interrupted the conversation. This guy a third-generation Predacon actually dared to treat a first-generation Predacon like the devil as if they were equals… how disrespectful!
However, since the order came directly from the Fallen, both Starscream and the devil had no choice but to lower their heads and obey. Fortunately, most of the burden fell on the ordinary Predacons and the slave legions sent by the Huns; Starscream and the robotic ant merely had to supervise.
The journey ahead was far from short. The Fallen and his forces were currently stationed somewhere in Central Asia, and to reach the pyramid coordinates, they would have to travel westward across the entire European continent.
Along the way, they would encounter numerous human kingdoms many of them extremely warlike. The Huns who accompanied them were the Fallen's most trusted men.
On the surface, it looked like a westward expedition after the Huns' setbacks in the East. In reality, it was nothing more than a barbaric invasion by an advanced civilization against a lesser one.
"My great lord, thank you so much for granting us, the Huns, these fertile lands. We'll surely exploit them to produce vast quantities of metal for your use."
Of course, the Fallen wasn't helping the Huns seize territory for free. There were conditions. All inhabitants of the conquered lands would become slaves. What the Fallen desired most were the mineral resources of these lands. As mechanical beings, they required massive amounts of various metals to sustain themselves and for that, they needed large numbers of strong laborers. That was the foundation of the Decepticon-Hun alliance.
The resistance of ordinary humans was laughable to the Predacons. Even if a few of the weaker ones were occasionally defeated by human armies, compared to the countless smoking castles and tens of millions of new slaves, such losses were insignificant.
Furthermore, as the march continued, the Fallen discovered creatures even more suitable for transformation into Predacons massive ten-meter crocodiles, enormous turtles, and pythons inhabiting the rivers. These reptiles possessed immense destructive power, and once transformed into Predacons, their strength grew exponentially.
In his spare time, the Fallen even conducted biological experiments fusing different species into entirely new mechanical lifeforms, including a terrifying fire-breathing dragon known as Chimera.
(End of Chapter)