Chapter 114: The Scavenger Giant
"Noisy, take note of what just happened! Even if that kid, Steellord, was a bit dim, his combat and defense capabilities were impressive. Some of you veteran Decepticons might not even be able to defeat him in a fair fight. For him to be silently eliminated… it could only have been Optimus Prime. We must report this to Commander Megatron as soon as we rendezvous with him!"
Although Soundwave acted stern and cold in front of his subordinates, deep down he was uneasy. There had been no prior reports of similar incidents, but those two powerful Autobot warriors had been lurking nearby for some time. If not for the urgency of reaching Megatron's designated coordinates, Soundwave would have sent a scouting unit to investigate immediately.
"Yes, Commander! Actually… if possible, I'd like to go take a look myself. If I ran into Optimus Prime, I could be of great help!"
Soundwave almost laughed aloud. Noisy really thinks too highly of himself. Against someone like Optimus Prime, that fool would be split in two before he could even fire a shot. Other than supersoldiers like Megatron, there were probably fewer than five Decepticons in the entire Cybertronian army capable of facing Prime head-on.
"Enough noise. Mind your own business. Keep causing trouble and I'll make sure you're never assigned to another mission again. Understood?"
"Understood, Commander! I know my limits. I was just joking, don't take it seriously!"
In truth, almost every Decepticon feared fighting Optimus Prime alone. It was said that even Megatron himself had been defeated by him more than once.
Just as the Decepticon main force was retreating from the area, a massive scorpion-shaped warship was slowly approaching from the depths of space. If Soundwave had been able to detect it with satellites, he would have been shocked to recognize its owner the legendary Sark, a Decepticon lord who outwardly obeyed Megatron but secretly defied his rule.
Logically, Megatron had never informed Sark of this operation, and Sark rarely left his own domain. So why was his warship here?
The truth was simple Sark didn't care about Megatron's mission. He was following Soundwave's reinforcements for one reason: to scavenge the battlefield.
Take, for example, the unlucky Decepticon rookie Steellord, who had been obliterated by Ratchet.
Though his circuitry was shredded and his central processor barely glowed with faint energy, Sark somehow tracked his precise coordinates. Like a cosmic scavenger, he maneuvered his enormous ship to collect the shattered remains drifting through space.
By some stroke of fate or perhaps Ratchet's inexperience Steellord's body was destroyed, but a faint spark of life still flickered within his broken frame.
And Sark found him.
"Help… help me… please…"
Though blind and deprived of his senses, the young Decepticon could still feel the presence of a powerful comrade nearby through the resonance of his damaged Spark.
"Heh… you're that little tank, aren't you? I think I saw you before one of Megatron's new recruits. Your defense wasn't bad. You shouldn't be in this state even after facing Optimus Prime… right?"
Sark had already been watching several of the younger Decepticons, but Megatron always hoarded the best recruits for himself. Now that this one had been abandoned, Sark saw his chance.
If this kid wanted to survive… he would have to rely entirely on Sark.
"Please, my lord save me! I'll risk my life for you! I, Steellord, swear eternal loyalty!"
"No, no, no. If you want to serve under me, you'll need a new name. I don't want Megatron accusing me of stealing his soldiers. Besides, I don't like your clunky body I'm going to rebuild you. I've been developing a new type of warrior: the Headmasters. Interested?"
So this scorpion-like Decepticon wasn't just strong he was cunning. To avoid Megatron's wrath, he would give this young warrior a complete new identity.
But Steellord had no choice.
"No problem, sir! I'll follow your orders! I've heard of the Headmaster project it would be an honor to join!"
The little tank's flattery came naturally perhaps an innate skill among Decepticons.
"Excellent. You'll rest and recover aboard my ship. Next, we're heading to the next coordinate. There's another one there someone who seems to have suffered the same fate as you. His Spark's unstable, badly wounded. Let's see what's left of him."
In truth, the Scorpion Giant didn't particularly care how the tank warrior had been defeated. His main focus was secret he was building his own army in the shadows.
He wasn't ready to challenge Megatron yet… but the recruitment had already begun.
About an hour away from the crash site, at the edge of a nearby planet, another brutal battle between Autobots and Decepticons had just ended.
Compared to Ratchet the relatively inexperienced Autobot who had defeated the small tank the three Decepticons here were far less fortunate. They had faced Ironhide, known as the second-strongest Autobot after Optimus Prime.
Though others had given him that title, Ironhide's power was undeniable. Even with low energy reserves, he fired only twice two shots that turned his enemies to ashes, their heads vaporized in an instant.
One surviving Decepticon flyer had managed to eject from his ship and transform to flee, but he couldn't escape his fate either. Half of his remains floated charred and broken among the debris.
Had it not been for Sark's approaching vessel, that last unfortunate Decepticon would have been reduced to dust long ago.
(End of Chapter)