Chapter 128: Starscream's Small Moves
"Host, this is supposed to be the strongest human infantry legion in all of Europe. They fought valiantly, but they're still fragile before such an overwhelming difference in civilization. Shouldn't we do something? Are we just going to stand by and watch the Fallen's plan unfold smoothly?"
As a warrior directly assigned to the battlefield by Shadow, Starscream hadn't even had a chance to act. Even his old companion, Devil, was sitting idle on the sidelines. The scene had turned into a spectacle for the Tarantula Warriors and the Scorpion Warriors. These two Decepticon super-soldiers could obliterate an entire formation in a single leap. Not even the bravest Roman soldiers could withstand such carnage.
Within half an hour, the Roman legion once hundreds of thousands strong was completely wiped out. The surviving human warriors gathered together, desperate for one last chance at survival.
"Surrender, Romans! Before the great gods we Huns worship, you are nothing but insignificant ants! Only by kneeling and begging forgiveness from our gods can you save your lives!"
Seeing the battle nearly decided, the Hunnic envoys reappeared on the field. Though those few primordial beasts could easily annihilate the survivors, enslaving them would be far more profitable; these strong soldiers were much more valuable than ordinary peasants.
"No, we Romans will never surrender like you! And you claim the ones you worship are the true gods? If you'd been to Egypt, you'd know whether our words are true!"
Though these Romans didn't have the protection of a powerful alien civilization, that didn't mean they hadn't encountered such beings before. Their mention of crossing Egypt was, in fact, tied directly to the true objective of the Fallen's group.
"Ha! Since you insist, we've no choice but to offer you up as sacrifices to our true god. Good luck!"
Originally, the Huns had planned to enslave the Roman soldiers, but it was clear they had already made contact with the Decepticon traitors. Out of principle, they decided to leave the matter in the Decepticons' hands.
"Transformers System, have you located the human mentioned earlier the Egyptian guardian god? I believe he holds the information we need. We must find him before those two idiots wipe out all of humanity; he might be useful for future operations."
Clearly, while the Fallen's advance couldn't be stopped, Starscream could at least try to understand his enemy. Like ancient China, the old African nation with its pyramids also had thousands of years of history, and its many guardian deities had spread across the world. Among them, the most famous was the tall golden, winged, non-human figure.
To ordinary humans, this being might seem to possess supernatural powers but from a modern perspective, those traits were the most obvious markers of a Transformer. Starscream's only option now was to find a way to connect the Decepticon resistance with the Fallen's forces.
So, just as the Tarantula and Scorpion Warriors were preparing their final assault, a dark figure moved rapidly through the chaos of the battlefield.
It was Starscream in his Sabertooth form. Taking advantage of the confusion, fire, and smoke that obscured vision, the two proud Predacons never expected such an unusual intruder among their ranks.
However, even with his incredible speed and use of cover, Starscream didn't anticipate that his actions would be noticed by a pair of sharp eyes not from the ground, but from the sky.
Remember the Chimera created by the Fallen? Though it wasn't taking part in the battle, not even the giant dragon had full control over it. So the bored mechanical chimera watched everything from above and the swift red arachnid moving below immediately caught its attention.
For various reasons, the massive mechanical beast didn't report its discovery to its leader. Instead, it curiously observed the shadow on the ground, intrigued to see what it would do next.
"Human, I need to know every detail of what you just said. If you and your men want to live, you'd better answer my questions honestly!"
It was a terrifying sight: a massive creature, as tall as an elephant, speaking human language (thanks to the Transformers System's linguistic analysis), asking questions that had nothing to do with the ongoing battle. Anyone witnessing it would have found it utterly unbelievable.
But the Roman general, desperate to survive and save his men, forced down his fear and tried to communicate with the enormous mechanical monster before him.
"You… you're not with those others? Why why should I tell you everything I know? How can you guarantee my brothers and I will escape this nightmare?"
"Humans, do you see these steel claws? If you keep wasting time, they'll be right above your heads. As for guaranteeing your safety that's my business! Now, tell me what I want to know. I don't have time to waste!"
Starscream wasn't an expert interrogator and couldn't linger for long. Intimidation was the fastest way to get the answers he needed. Whether he could actually ensure the Romans' safety was irrelevant it was just talk. Deep down, he wasn't the kind of Autobot who kept his promises.
And indeed, under immense fear, no ordinary human could cling to his principles. Trembling, the Roman general revealed everything he knew, including where he had seen those enormous golden beings and the approximate location of the pyramid.
However, just as Starscream was about to confirm more details, a powerful alarm blared through the Transformers System. Instinctively, Starscream leapt backward and at that exact moment, a massive column of fire crashed down from the sky, striking precisely where he had been standing. The humans, however, weren't as lucky…
(End of Chapter)