Chapter 56: Ancestral Decepticons
"Sludge, my good brother, are you really here? I'm on my way right now. I'll come find you once I'm done taking care of those disgusting blade-lizard reptiles outside."
No one knew what exactly was going on with Darts, but as a powerful Transformer, his hatred for the Huns ran deep. Starscream, on the other hand, merely used the Huns as pawns. Even if they were wiped out, it wouldn't bother him much, so he silently approved of the Dinobot's rampage.
But when Darts laid eyes on Starscream again, his optics filled with suspicion.
"Flying Dart! Haha, my good brother, we've finally reunited! I'm so happy..."
Crack, crack, crack!
Clang, clang, clang!
Perhaps it was the long-awaited reunion, but the two mighty Dinobot warriors embraced like children. However, the Thunder Mud Dragon's condition was far from good. With every strong pat from his companion, several gears and bolts fell loose, and even a chest plate began to shake free...startling Flying Dart.
Whether by instinct or paranoia, Flying Dart immediately pointed his laser pistol at Starscream, stepping protectively between him and Sludge.
"Red Spider, what exactly did you do to my brother? And what kind of deal have you made with these Huns? If you can't explain yourself clearly, this weapon I'm holding isn't a toy!"
Of course! No wonder everyone feared the Dinobot warriors...they acted before they thought. If Starscream really wanted to harm Sludge, why would he have helped heal his wounds and even shared some of his own energy?
"Dart, calm down," Sludge said. "This Lord Red Spider is the one who woke me up. The scars on my body were caused by others, but my database holds no record of what happened. You must know something about it, right? What exactly happened to our Dinobot unit back then?"
From the current situation, it seemed that only Dart remained intact from their unit. That meant he was the key to uncovering what really occurred.
"My brother, sit down. Let me help you recover your memories. Though our mission succeeded, the Dinobot army paid a heavy price. We had to split up and face different enemies, but it seems we didn't wipe them all out. At least some of their minions are still on this planet, waiting for their master's resurrection!"
Dart clearly knew something, but he didn't want Starscream listening in. He pulled out a data cable and directly linked it to Sludge's forehead. The transmission was completely secure...no chance for eavesdropping. But what about Starscream's feelings?
Watching the two Autobots flash and flicker as they shared data, Starscream could barely resist the urge to pull out his blaster and teach them a lesson.
"Host," the system spoke, "I think Dart must have learned what happened on Cybertron after our separation. He probably knows about the current relationship between Decepticons and Autobots. We should continue exploring this place. There are still two signals down here, and we can be quite sure they're Decepticons."
The system's analysis was logical. Dart's gaze toward Starscream was filled not only with caution but even a hint of hatred. Still, given their previous cooperation, an outright conflict seemed unlikely...though once trust is broken, it's hard to mend.
"Then let's ignore those two and keep exploring. But I have a bad feeling about that Thunder Dragon Sludge. Could those two have done this to him?"
Back in the Autobot era, even the proud Decepticons respected the Dinobots. No Decepticon in his right mind would ever provoke these elite warriors.
Just as Starscream was about to follow the system's guidance toward the remaining energy signatures, the two Dinobot warriors behind him stood up simultaneously.
"Starscream, where do you think you're going?" Dart demanded, raising his weapon. The tension made Starscream visibly uneasy.
"Brother, don't do this! Put the weapon down...let me speak with him. Thanks to your memory recovery, I now know who's buried down below!"
Loyal as ever, Sludge quickly lowered his companion's weapon and stepped closer to Starscream to explain.
"I don't know what you're searching for, but our Dinobot army fought a fierce battle here against evil beings. If I recall correctly, there should be two ancient Decepticon warriors buried beneath us. They should be dormant, like I was, but I can't guarantee they'll be friendly...they were never exactly allies."
Alright then, the system had been right. The second level of this underground base likely contained two ancient Decepticon warriors.
"Perfect," Starscream said. "I'm actually looking for a Decepticon warrior named Skyfire. I once visited one of his bases and hoped to exchange information with him, nothing more. As for my current ties with Cybertron or you Autobots...it's far too complicated to explain now. When you see Optimus Prime someday, he'll tell you everything."
Though Starscream had saved the Dinobot called Sludge, he had no desire to linger around these hot-headed Autobots. In truth, Starscream preferred to work alone...gathering the information he needed before leaving this planet behind.
(End of Chapter)