Chapter 8: Well Done, Starscream!
"What's going on? Where are those explosions coming from?!"
The Decepticons on the front line including Noisy, who were holding back the Autobots quickly noticed the chaos erupting behind them. But they were completely pinned down by the enemy fire, unable to pull back. Their only option was to contact Starscream through the Decepticon battle channel.
"Commander Starscream! Commander Starscream! Please respond what's happening in our rear? Should we send a few troops to check it out?"
The tank Decepticon only wanted to assess the situation. After all, the area had already been swept clean before; there shouldn't have been any enemies there. Yet the channel from Starscream was filled with the sound of chaotic explosions as if he were facing a massive Autobot force! He didn't even seem to have time to respond directly, his voice buried under the roar of battle.
"Damn it! Damn it, Optimus Prime! What's happening?! Ironhide's here too?! Damn it! Optimus Prime is feinting east and striking west we've been tricked!"
"What? Optimus Prime?! And Ironhide, the Autobot general?! What the hell's going on? How did they slip past our rear defenses without anyone noticing?!"
The Decepticons locked in combat up front were completely stunned. From their perspective, Starscream seemed to be facing an entire Autobot army all by himself. His reckless courage left the younger soldiers like Noisy in total awe of their commander.
"Everyone! Keep these Autobots pinned down! Send a third of our men back to support Lord Starscream!"
"Yes, sir!"
Fired up by the orders, the new generation of Decepticons suddenly found their morale surging. Their counterattack intensified, and the fragile Autobot vanguard began to crumble under the renewed firepower.
"Alright, Miss Elita my solo performance is almost over. If we wait until those idiots come back, it'll be too late!"
After building enough of a diversion, Starscream gestured for the Autobot beside him to run.
Of course, Starscream wasn't doing this out of any noble Autobot sense of justice. No the Transformation System embedded in his core processor had forcefully implanted an order: cover the Autobots' retreat.
Damn it! Systems in novels always give rewards when assigning quests. But this so-called Transformation System in Starscream's head was just a single cold line of text, echoing endlessly through his CPU impossible to delete. It almost felt like if he didn't complete the mission, that "god of the system" would smite him on the spot.
Still, everything seemed to be going smoothly. All he had to do was push Optimus Prime's girlfriend toward safety, and the task would be complete.
But just as Starscream grinned to himself, something unexpected happened something he couldn't have predicted.
A laser blast not very powerful, not even very accurate tore through the trench wall less than three meters in front of him. It struck directly into the fiery inferno Starscream had created.
"What the ? That firestorm was mine! There shouldn't be any enemies over there! So why did a laser just ?"
Almost as if to answer his question, two towering robotic figures emerged through the flames. The blaze distorted their outlines, but one of them was unmistakably large a semi-truck in its transformed state.
And in Starscream's memory, there was only one such figure on either side of the war.
Optimus Prime.
No way… why does it have to be Optimus Prime?!
The realization hit him like a shockwave. Elita was Optimus Prime's girlfriend and Starscream had somehow earned her trust. Her boyfriend, Optimus, was the current Autobot leader. Could this mean Starscream might finally earn his way back into the Autobot ranks?
The joy came too suddenly. He barely had time to process it.
However, the Optimus Prime standing in the fire ahead didn't seem pleased. After firing that first probing shot, he charged up another roaring furiously:
"Starscream! I didn't expect you to still be alive! If I'd known, I would've blasted your head off back then!"
So, clearly, Optimus Prime wasn't happy to see him. He hadn't even noticed Elita beside Starscream. But why was the Autobot leader here, of all places? Coincidence or something more?
No… wait. Though Optimus was shooting wildly, he wasn't taking cover. Instead, he was propping up a green-colored ally beside him clearly wounded. From the missile hole in his chest, it looked like the result of one of Starscream's own air-to-ground rockets.
You've got to be kidding me.
Starscream had been firing randomly earlier and somehow, he'd hit a fellow Autobot dead-on?
Perfect. Just perfect. There was no way anyone would believe he didn't do it on purpose.
Unless…
"Miss Elita! Look isn't that Optimus Prime? Please, go to him and explain! I swear I didn't mean to shoot! You saw everything yourself!"
If there was any chance to clear up this mess, it lay with her the only witness to his "heroic" act.
"Don't worry, Mr. Starscream. I'll make sure Optimus Prime helps you return to the team!"
Ah, these Autobot women always so sincere and loyal. It was almost touching.
But just as Elita was about to approach Optimus Prime, a massive missile came crashing down between them. The explosion sent shockwaves through the battlefield, followed by a deep, metallic laugh echoing across the comms.
"Well done, Starscream! I didn't expect you to not only stall Optimus Prime but also wound Ironhide! You truly deserve to be called the finest warrior of the Decepticons!"
The voice belonged to none other than the Decepticon leader himself
Megatron.
(End of Chapter)