Chapter 48: This Planet Once Had Decepticons
"System god, what are you trying to tell me? Are you saying that the old one called Skyfire didn't build this place just for temporary energy refueling ... but for a long-term plan? Then why didn't we detect any Decepticon or Autobot bases when we arrived on this planet? And that Skyfire has been here for at least a thousand years ... what's he doing here?"
Starscream's reasoning was solid. Even though he had just tested the converted energy from that substance called oil, there were similar alternatives on many other planets. Even if Skyfire was an old warrior from a thousand years ago, he couldn't have been so shortsighted ... unless the planet beneath Starscream's feet held a secret far greater than anyone imagined.
But for the Decepticons, other than competing for energy, Starscream couldn't think of anything else of real value.
"Host, now that we have a steady energy supply, why don't we take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate this planet ... inside and out?"
Starscream's curiosity was no less than that of his Transformer system. Besides, there was no rush to return to Cybertron ... not while Sixshot might still recognize him. Staying here for a while wouldn't hurt.
"Fine! Let's see if there are any more valuable clues in this Decepticon outpost. Even if that Skyfire guy has vanished, he must've left something behind, right?"
Just as Starscream decided to conduct a thorough investigation, a series of muffled explosions rumbled from the ground below. However, this time the noise wasn't as intense as when they were attacked with darts earlier. Could another Autobot have appeared outside?
The answer, of course, was no. When Starscream descended to the surface, he discovered that it was a battle between humans ... or rather, a group of soldiers with torn banners who had attacked the Huns' gathering site once again.
"Great divine messenger, I deeply apologize for interrupting your communication with the Needle God! These despicable Central Plains people are ungrateful wretches, sending such brutes to provoke us. We shall soon exterminate them and offer their lives to the true great god!"
What a sight! The battle that followed was almost amusing to Red Spider. These humans, averaging less than 1.7 meters tall, only knew how to fight with sticks and crude blades, and at best, shoot wooden arrows while shouting loudly. To Red Spider ... a mighty super robot ... the scene was both baffling and pathetic.
Even more absurd, when the enemy commander saw Red Spider appear, he raised his little knife and ordered his men to fire their arrows.
"Red Spider, activate your energy shield!"
A pink, optical shield flared to life ... a dense, non-physical barrier of condensed energy that effortlessly blocked the incoming rain of arrows.
Red Spider had no intention of fighting these insignificant humans, but they refused to let him leave. What now? "Should I use my laser cannon to teach these pitiful humans what true rage is?"
"You ungrateful bastards ... I'll show you the difference between cold steel and real firepower! Today, you'll learn your place!"
As the human soldiers loosed another volley, Red Spider drew his laser pistol without hesitation. Yet, just as he was about to pull the trigger, a strange flicker pulsed through the fire in his chest.
Black hair, black eyes, yellow skin ... that was the first impression these attackers gave Red Spider. They looked quite different from the Huns around him, perhaps due to geography.
"Boom!"
"Zap!"
Because of the brief flicker in his inner fire, the muzzle of Red Spider's blaster tilted slightly downward as he fired. Even so, the blast's power was far beyond what ordinary humans could withstand. The front line of riders fell from their horses, and the remaining soldiers were quickly captured by the Huns.
Starscream didn't know why he had shown mercy ... but there was something strangely familiar about these black-haired humans, as if he had once been one of them.
Could it be that Starscream's circuit boards hadn't fully repaired since arriving on this planet?
"Thank you for your aid, Divine Envoy. The people of the Central Plains are truly ungrateful ... a few of them always try to stir up trouble. Once we find the temple of the Great Demon God, we'll sacrifice them all. What do you think, Divine Envoy?"
What was going on? What were these Huns after? Could this have something to do with the Decepticons? Or perhaps with the Celestial Fire from ages past?
"Bring these people from the Central Plains here. I want to interrogate them personally. Do not take their lives without my permission, understood?"
Perhaps because Starscream's earlier attack had terrified these primitive humans, or perhaps because they now revered the Decepticons, the Huns obeyed his order without question. Despite the heavy damage the Central Plains soldiers had inflicted on their fortress, they dared not disobey Starscream. They dragged the prisoners to the Decepticon outpost gate ... but none dared to enter.
"Let's see what secrets you're hiding, little ones."
Three captives stood before Starscream ... apparently the leaders of the previous uprising. Without wasting time, he dragged them inside the base as if they were chickens and sealed the steel security doors to keep anyone from overhearing.
"You vile demon! We, the Great Eclipse , will never allow your dark king to rise again! Our ancestors sealed you away during the Battle of Zhuolu ... you'd better stay buried underground forever!"
Even bound hand and foot, and facing a towering giant of steel, the leader of the three showed no fear. His stubborn defiance mirrored that of the Autobot warriors who had fought to their last breath during the final days of the Cybertron War.
What secrets lay hidden in the vast river of human history?
And what connection did those secrets have with the Decepticons ... or the Autobots?
Given the direction of the story ... since creatures like Chimeras and Merlin in Western mythology are considered advanced extraterrestrial beings ... what, then, of the strange and powerful beings found in Eastern mythology?
(End of Chapter)