Panic-stricken and desperate, Starscream streaked toward the carrier strike group a few dozen kilometers away. The moment he cleared the perimeter, the USS Nimitz's Phalanx CIWS greeted him with a hail of lead.
Thump-thump-thump!
In the dense curtain of fire, a 20mm shell clipped the wing of the F-15. While the CIWS lacked the power to seriously damage the Air Commander, the insult was enough to trigger his infamous rage.
It's one thing to be hunted by Skygnaw, but you insects dare strike me?
SWISH—BOOM!
Starscream dumped a cluster bomb, obliterating the carrier's defense arrays and turning the flight deck into a sea of fire. However, the momentary distraction allowed Skygnaw to close the distance.
Zing—
Another pulse from the Scepter of Retribution shrieked past. Starscream banked violently to avoid it, losing control for a split second and slamming hard onto the Nimitz's deck.
CRASH!
"AAARGH!"
Sailors were crushed under the sheer mass of the falling robot. Parked aircraft were reduced to shrapnel as Starscream skidded across the steel plating. The crew on deck scattered like ants before a storm.
"Don't panic! Get to the lockers! Return fire! Return fire!" officers bellowed, trying to organize a resistance. But the rank-and-file sailors, who had never seen a Decepticon in the flesh, had already bolted for the lower decks. Some were even grabbing life rings and jumping overboard, sensing the ship's impending doom.
As the saying goes, when the giants fight, the grass gets trampled. The Nimitz battle group was the "grass." With two titans landed on its deck, the carrier's combat effectiveness was effectively zeroed.
Skygnaw descended, firing a photon pulse that tore through the deck.
CREAK—CRUNCH!
The shot pierced the main keel of the ship, and seawater began to roar into the lower compartments. Damage control teams scrambled up the ladders in a frenzy. "Run! We're taking on water! The lower decks are flooding!"
THUD.
Skygnaw landed on the deck. He retracted his photon cannon and drew the Black Hell Blade. "Lord Starscream... you look like you've seen better days."
Skygnaw walked slowly toward the Seeker, ignored the screams of dying humans. His optics were fixed solely on Starscream. He remembered the humiliation Starscream had dealt him in the lab when he first woke up in this world.
It was time to settle the debt.
"Skygnaw!" Starscream's right arm shifted into a dual-bladed chainsaw, the teeth whirring with a lethal hum. "I admit, I underestimated you."
Hate burned in Starscream's optics. "I built you! I created you! I should have crushed your head in Scalpel's lab when I had the chance!"
Despite his bold words, Starscream's eyes darted around, looking for an escape. He still didn't understand how Skygnaw had broken his leash. Soundwave had informed him of the battle in Alaska but had conveniently left out Scalpel's role in freeing Skygnaw. Soundwave's game was simple: keep the Commanders fighting. A Decepticon army that was internally divided but loyal to Megatron's eventual command was exactly what the orbital officer wanted.
"Skygnaw, die!"
Starscream lunged. Skygnaw raised his blade and met him head-on.
CLANG!
Sparks erupted as the Black Hell Blade met the whirring saw. Both were jolted back by the force before clashing again. The weight of two Commander-class warriors brawling on the deck accelerated the Nimitz's sinking. Nearby escort ships—destroyers and frigates—watched in horror, unable to fire for fear of hitting their own officers and crew.
"Captain, we have to evacuate! The ship is going down!" the Executive Officer pleaded on the bridge.
But a Captain does not abandon his ship easily. No matter the pleading, he remained steadfast: "I'm not going anywhere."
Seeing no choice, the XO signaled to the security detail. The Captain was tackled and hoisted into the air. "You... mmph... let go!"
"Move! The lifeboats are away! We're transferring command to the frigate!"
Once on the escort ship, the XO—now Acting Commander—looked at the burning wreck of the Nimitz and the hundreds of sailors still trapped on board. He didn't hesitate. "Target the hostiles on the deck. Open fire. All batteries."
...
On the deck, the duel raged on. Although Skygnaw's chassis was superior, Starscream was a veteran of a million years of war. A duel between Commanders was never easy.
Skygnaw's armor was scarred and dented. Dark Energon-red fluid leaked from deep gashes in his joints. But Starscream was in much worse shape. Already injured from the dogfight, the "shoulders" of his delta-wing torso had been shorn off by the Black Hell Blade, and his faceplate was a shattered mess after a direct punch from Skygnaw.
BAM!
"Lord Starscream, that punch was for the lab," Skygnaw rumbled.
"Skygnaw..." Starscream stumbled to his feet, a cunning glint in his damaged optics. "You... die!"
He raised his arm and unleashed a point-blank volley of missiles.
"Hmph. I've been expecting that." Skygnaw flared his energy shield and readied his blade for the next exchange.
But before they could clash again, the surrounding fleet opened up. Shells began to rain down on the Nimitz, capping the carrier in a shroud of black smoke and fire. The proud vessel finally began its terminal plunge.
Starscream backed away from the explosions. "Skygnaw! How about we deal with these annoying flies first?"
Skygnaw looked down at his waist, which was now submerged in the rising tide, then looked at the human fleet thousands of meters away. He nodded. "Fine."
He was tired of being interrupted.
SWISH—
Transforming into their flight modes, the two Decepticons tore across the waves. It took mere minutes to dismantle the remainder of the strike group. Frigates and supply ships were shattered, their sailors tossed into the Atlantic to feed the sharks.
As the last supply ship slipped beneath the waves, Starscream suddenly pulled a vertical climb, shrieking into the cloud cover. Before Skygnaw could react, the Air Commander's signal vanished from his sensors.
"..."
Skygnaw stared at the empty sky. He felt a twinge of regret, but no real disappointment. He knew Starscream was an expert survivor; killing a veteran Commander-class warrior was a feat that took hundreds of rounds of combat.
Besides, Starscream was still Megatron's right hand. Even if Skygnaw captured him, he had no authority to execute him. Megatron had forgiven Starscream for actual coups; he wouldn't kill his best seeker over a "private grudge" with a newcomer. Commanders had the luxury of being forgiven for many sins. That was why Skygnaw had been so quick to kill Skywarp earlier—Skywarp didn't have that protection.
...
Skygnaw turned back to the wreckage, scanning for Ravage, when several Cybertronian jets appeared on the horizon.
"My Lord, status?" Dirge asked, pulling into a hover. He had returned to base and brought the Horsemen for backup. They were just a few minutes too late.
"I'm fine," Skygnaw said, dismissing his concerns. His armor was a wreck, but his core systems were intact. With enough Energon, he'd be repaired in days.
"You're just in time," Skygnaw said, pointing to the debris of the drone jets Starscream had brought. "Salvage those frames. Take them with you. Then, follow me."
Skygnaw cut his thrusters and plunged into the ocean with a massive splash.
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