Chapter 34: The Wandering Earth
"What's happening? Why is everything so dark? Where are the lights? Who turned them off? Transformer System, activate! I… I'm Starscream! I completed the mission assigned to me!"
It was total darkness. Starscream had no idea what was happening to him. No matter how much he shouted, he couldn't hear his own voice, and his limbs were completely immobile. He couldn't even transform.
The surroundings remained engulfed in absolute darkness...darker than the endless void of space. Yet Starscream could feel his body falling in a certain direction, as if a powerful gravitational force were dragging the unfortunate Decepticon Air Commander down into oblivion.
What Starscream didn't realize was that, due to the collapse of the magnetic field, both he and Sixshot had been on the brink of death. Though Sixshot's body was shattered and severely damaged, at least his Spark had survived, and the distress signal he sent out in his final moments was picked up by a Decepticon search team two weeks later. His repairs, however, would take many long years.
As for Starscream, a massive shockwave had flung him off Cybertron, sending him hurtling toward a remote coordinate deep within a galaxy known as the Milky Way.
From a distance, he looked like a massive, inert metallic figure drifting aimlessly through space. But upon closer inspection, his trajectory seemed strangely deliberate. This was a temporary safety measure built into the Transformer System. When both Starscream's central processor and Spark approached irreversible damage, the system automatically shut down all functions and locked onto a planet coordinate left behind by Optimus Prime as an emergency destination. Every twelve hours, it would activate Starscream's propulsion system to make minor course adjustments.
That destination was a low-altitude planet known as the Hungry Planet...a name likely coined by some ancient Transformer, though it was a rather odd one.
Although Optimus Prime, the original Autobot leader, had once designated this world as an emergency landing point, he would never willingly descend to such a primitive place unless absolutely necessary! So why was the Transformer System insisting on sending Starscream there? Surely not to survey the land for Optimus Prime and the others.
Perhaps it was to escape future pursuit from Sixshot...after all, low-level civilizations tend to be less dangerous. For a severely damaged Transformer like Starscream, finding a safe place to repair was now his top priority.
Whatever the case, it was reasonable to believe that this system was acting in Starscream's best interest...and not for any ulterior motive.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly, Starscream felt as though he had entered an atmosphere. He knew all too well the sensation of air resistance and friction. The sparks of re-entry lit up the darkness before his eyes.
"Beep beep beep! The system has detected bio-energy. Recharge possible. Host may regain limited visual control."
It was the voice of the Transformer System...one he hadn't heard in ages. Though he didn't understand how, Starscream eagerly activated his visual sensors.
What was happening? What was that blue planet beneath him? What were those coordinates? A flood of questions filled Starscream's mind, but before he could think further, he found himself plummeting uncontrollably.
This planet, called "Hunger," seemed to possess an unusually strong gravitational pull. Once inside its atmosphere, unless one had extremely powerful thrusters, the gravity would drag you down relentlessly. Although Starscream had regained partial functionality, his propulsion system was far too weak to resist the planet's gravity. The combination of freefall momentum and his own heavy frame only accelerated his descent.
This blue planet was divided into eastern and western hemispheres, and as Starscream entered the atmosphere, multiple ancient civilizations witnessed the same phenomenon...a "falling star" streaking across the heavens.
"Your Majesty, this humble minister observed the stars last night and saw one fall from the heavens! It was like the descent of the celestial wolf, the Greedy Wolf! It is a most ominous sign!"
"What? The Star of the Greedy Wolf? Are you certain your astronomical office isn't mistaken? No wonder the northern Zargoth have been restless lately...could it be due to this celestial omen?"
So spoke an ancient eastern people. Because Starscream...known to them only as a "Red Spider"...fell at night over their land, the brilliant glow of his wings upon entering the atmosphere was interpreted as a dire omen by their priests, terrifying their ruler.
Meanwhile, across the planet, another ancient empire also observed the fall of the "Red Spider." However, since it occurred during daylight for them, their interpretation was quite the opposite.
"My great lord! The celestial gods have heard your prayers! That fiery orb falling from the sky is a divine revelation from the God of War! Our empire shall soon conquer the entire world!"
"Hahaha! Just as I foretold! Prepare the army! We march for the Nile...I shall conquer their queen!"
Ah, everything has two sides. People from different lands, witnessing the same event from different perspectives, can reach entirely different conclusions. Such was the nature of this planet known as "Hunger"...a primitive world in a feudal age of swords and empires.
Aside from the first spacefaring Autobot pioneers, there were almost no signs of advanced life arriving on this planet. Still, although the local species were primitive and warlike, their rudimentary technology and methods might yet suffice to aid a wounded Transformer like Starscream… perhaps.
The real question was...could this planet possibly contain any substance Starscream could convert into usable energy?
Otherwise, he might never return to Cybertron.
(End of Chapter)
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