BOOM!
A blinding beam of energy lanced out from Cybertron, instantly vaporizing a cloaked spacecraft drifting in orbit. Lately, such incidents had become routine.
"Who was it this time? One of the Three Galactic Empires? Some fool from the other Eight Realms? Or another curiosity-seeker from beyond the Milky Way?"
Starscream drummed his fingers across the console, puffing up his chest and doing his best to look important as he barked out his question. No one responded.
Everyone was too busy.
"Ha! Lord Starscream, it seems nobody gives a damn about you around here."
A voice rang out from below, mocking and loud. A small, half-meter-tall Decepticon leapt onto the command platform, sneering.
"Shut your trap, Frenzy! One more word and I'll tear you apart!"
Starscream snarled, jabbing a finger hard into the minibot's chest, sending him tumbling backward with a metallic thud.
...
FRENZY
Faction: Decepticon Cassette Corps
Personality: Berserk (Chaos +45%)
Height: 0.5 meters
Energon Capacity: 500,000
Status: Stable
Combat Rating: Tier 2
Signature Quote: "Come on, let me kill you!"
Evaluation:
Trapped in the eternal tug-of-war between his outward form and chaotic psyche, Frenzy thrives in madness. If he needed to breathe, war would be his oxygen. He lives for destruction, purposeless and glorious destruction, and delights in the slow spread of terror from the chaos he births.
...
Frenzy clambered to his feet, crossing his arms with a smug grin. Small as he was, he oozed defiance.
"Starscream, strut all you want while you still can. Once my master, Soundwave, reactivates the full Cassette Corps, I'll love watching the look on your face when we put you in your place."
Unfortunately for him, the Cassette Corps, Cybertron's elite intel and infiltration unit, was currently down to just one operative. That left Starscream free to posture without pushback... for now.
Starscream's expression darkened. Deep down, he knew his standing within the Decepticons had grown... precarious.
"Out of my way, trash heap!"
CRASH!
Shockwave slammed a fist into Starscream, swatting him aside like discarded junk as he strode through the war room without even slowing down.
Starscream howled in fury, his crimson optics glowing with rage, but no one paid him any mind. Every mech around him was laser-focused on their task.
"Fools! You'll all regret this! Lord Starscream will ascend to be the mightiest of the Decepticons!"
His voice echoed with venom, but suddenly he stiffened, sensors flaring. He spun around, posture instantly shifting as he struck a dramatic pose and belted out:
"Ah! Lord Megatron! Your supremacy is unmatched! How may your loyal Starscream be of service today?"
Megatron strode into the chamber, towering and silent, optics glowing blood-red.
"I want you," Megatron said icily, "to get out. Now."
His voice sharpened like a blade. "You're in the way. Again. There are plenty of trespassers snooping around Cybertron, and as commander of the Aerial Squadron, your job is to hunt them down, not to loiter here like a malfunctioning drone."
With that, Megatron's servo clamped around Starscream's throat and hurled him bodily through the exit. The thunderous crash shook the walls.
He was tired of it.
Starscream always made himself the center of attention, always posturing, always testing the limits of Megatron's authority. And not subtly either. Whether it was prestige, control, or sheer ego, Starscream was always probing.
"There's always some petty traitor trying to stab Megatron in the back."
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave reported, approaching without emotion. "That was the third infiltration attempt on Cybertron today."
"Let them come," Megatron growled, his voice a serrated whisper. "Vector Sigma is protected by AI routines orders of magnitude beyond what any mortal intelligence can handle. These worms will be slaughtered before they can blink."
His face twisted into a dark smirk. "Let them come. Their options are simple, conquered... or crushed."
Vector Sigma, the god-tier artificial superintelligence of the Decepticon war machine, was beyond comparison. Its processing power eclipsed even the likes of Ultron. Against it, petty invaders didn't stand a chance.
Standing tall, Megatron surveyed the horizon. Beyond the metal spires of Cybertron's capital sprawled vast techno-wilds, where fields of exotic vibranium-rich flora waved in the radiation winds.
Even Transformers, living metal beings as they were, saw the value in these plants. The vibranium compounds they contained fed the Decepticon war factories with endless supply.
Cybertron had become a paradise, for them, at least. Even someone like Dr. Bruce Banner had found peace here. The scientist had built a humble wooden cabin near the botanical zone. For all his Hulk-infused might, Banner remained human, he still longed for quiet beauty.
Half a month had passed since their migration to this reforged Cybertron. The adjustment had been rapid. Productive. Promising.
Above, a fleet of Decepticons shifted into jet mode and launched, streaking across the sky in elegant formations. Megatron's optics glinted with satisfaction.
"Hmph. Starscream… were it not for his usefulness, I'd have scrapped him cycles ago."
Ruthless as he was, Megatron couldn't deny Starscream's cunning. The schemer's grasp of tactics and subterfuge was... effective. That alone had spared him from oblivion.
But only barely.
...
In Orbit.
A sleek scout ship banked hard, trying to flee as waves of Cybertronian fliers tore through the void toward it.
"WHAT the hell?! These things can survive in open space?! Who builds war machines like this?!"
Peter Jason Quill, better known as Star-Lord, former Ravager and top-tier intergalactic thief, cursed loudly as alarms screamed around him.
He'd taken on the recon mission to Cybertron. Big mistake.
But how could he say no? The pay was... divine.
"This is a total intelligence failure. When I get back, I'm shaking down those bastard gods for hazard pay!"
Quill gritted his teeth, hands flying across the controls. The incoming fliers were terrifying; sleek, massive, and faster than anything he'd ever seen. One in particular stood out: larger, faster, and packing more firepower than seemed physically possible.
He activated the warp drive. The ship began to hum.
BOOM!
Too late.
An energy blast tore through the hull, carving a jagged, flaming gash in his precious vessel. Cybertron's gravity well yanked the crippled ship down into a death spiral.
"NONONO—SONOFAB—AAAAAGGGHH!!"
Quill screamed as the cabin buckled. He slapped his helmet on, bolting for the emergency hatch, but a shadow loomed.
The outer hull ripped open.
A massive metal hand reached in, crushing down with terrifying strength.
And Quill's world went black.
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