The Solar System. Near Neptune.
A gargantuan vessel glided silently past the largest gas giant in the star system. Emblazoned on its hull was the jagged violet sigil of the Decepticons. This was the heavy transport launched from the Iron Citadel, carrying three specialized strike teams.
Inside the hold, as the ship breached the inner system, Skywarp shot a meaningful look at his Seeker squad—the Sky-Ruiners. Without using his comms to avoid detection by the other sub-factions, he signaled them to follow.
One by one, the four other Seekers made excuses to leave the main bay, reconvening in a private, shielded chamber. Once the door hissed shut, Skywarp surveyed his team.
"Update: I've established a link with Lord Starscream. He is currently unable to return to the planet's surface, but he has issued our standing orders."
Skywarp had been instrumental in getting this team aboard. Acting on Starscream's remote instructions from the Fallen's ship, he had convinced Shockwave that the Seekers were essential for the Earth vanguard.
"What are the commands?" asked Acid Storm, a specialist whose double-mounted Hyperion cannons could synthesize localized high-concentration corrosive rain. A former member of the Rainmakers, he had pledged his rotors to Starscream after his original unit was decimated by Autobots.
"We are to go into a state of dormancy upon arrival and await the Master's return. Furthermore, we are to monitor the other units—especially Soundwave's sycophants. Any word on the status of Lord Megatron's remains must be reported to Starscream immediately."
The Seekers nodded. They knew their leader's ambition; they weren't just soldiers, they were Starscream's personal leverage.
"One more thing," Skywarp added. "There is a Decepticon on the surface named Skygnaw. Like me, he is an Elite-Class warrior and one of Starscream's direct assets. The Master warned us not to engage in unnecessary conflict with him."
"Skygnaw? Never heard of him," muttered Sunstorm. Sunstorm was a golden-clad clone of Starscream created by Shockwave, powered by a prototype stellar fusion reactor that allowed him to fire high-intensity solar lasers.
"I don't have details," Skywarp admitted. "The Master was brief. But remember: Megatron was killed by the local biologicals—the humans. Do not underestimate them, and do not forget that Prime and his Autobots are still entrenched there."
As the Seekers returned to the hold, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The Combaticons and Constructicons were huddled in their own circles, plotting.
Onslaught, the leader of the Combaticons, watched Skywarp return with a suspicious glint in his optics. He smelled the scent of a shadow-play. "Prepare yourselves, Skywarp. We are entering the planet's gravity well."
"Acknowledged," Skywarp replied smoothly. "Have the landing coordinates been finalized?"
"Soundwave selected the site," Onslaught grunted, his massive frame shifting as the ship adjusted its pitch. "A hidden ravine. You have a problem with that?"
"Not at all. The Spymaster always picks the best ground."
The transport accelerated, its hull beginning to glow with the friction of the thermosphere as it plunged toward the pale blue dot.
Konnas Canyon. Decepticon Base.
Skygnaw was just leaving Scalpel's lab with his new High-Class Information Chips when he ran into an unexpected duo.
"Frenzy?"
Skygnaw looked at the tiny infiltrator, then at the silent, brooding Barricade behind him. The two were as inseparable as they were in the archives. Since the disaster at Hoover Dam, Frenzy had been busy rebuilding his frame, and this was the first time Skygnaw had seen him fully functional.
"Skygnaw! Big things happening! Huge!" Frenzy chirped, his four optics spinning.
"What is it?" Skygnaw asked.
"The cavalry is here," Barricade answered, his voice gravelly and serious.
Skygnaw didn't need further explanation. A massive shadow began to blot out the sun above the canyon. He looked up to see a transport ship even larger than the one Sentinel Prime had crashed on the moon. It was a titan of the skies, descending slowly into the hidden crevice.
The base's small garrison gathered at the canyon floor. At the head of the welcoming party stood Airachnid, her eight dark-red eyes fixed on the descending craft. In this lawless interregnum, power dictated the hierarchy, and as a Commander-Class, she was currently the apex predator of the base.
The transport's massive ramp slammed into the dirt, and the reinforcements marched out.
The arriving warriors scanned the crowd. Most were confused by the presence of a Commander-Class female they didn't recognize, but the three Elite-Class captains—Skywarp, Onslaught, and Long Haul—stiffened.
"Lady Airachnid? You've returned to the fold?" Skywarp asked, leading his Seekers forward.
Technically, Airachnid was an exile. To rejoin, she needed the blessing of a Leader. But with Megatron dead, she existed in a political grey area. If she chose to exert her authority through raw force, few here could stop her.
"Kekeke~ Skywarp," Airachnid hissed, a swaying, lethal elegance in her stride. "Is Starscream not here to hide behind? Perhaps I should scrap you now while the 'King' is away."
The rivalry was ancient; Airachnid and Starscream had once bled each other for the rank of Air Commander cycles ago. Skywarp chuckled nervously, backing away. "You're as charming as ever, my Lady."
Skygnaw watched the interaction with a cold, calculating gaze. Ten High-Class warriors and three Elites had just landed. The power balance on Earth had shifted overnight.
The world is about to get very loud, Skygnaw thought. I wonder if NEST even knows the storm has broken.
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