Chapter 757: Black Market Offensive and Defensive Battle (Part 1)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Those dark, sunless years were a perpetual pain in Megatron's heart, something he could never forget.

As a resolute Leader, Megatron had buried this dark past deep within his memories, a scale he was most unwilling to have others touch.

Megatron's extreme hatred for his mentor, Lord Fallen, to the point of even joining forces with his enemy, Sentinel Prime, to bring Lord Fallen down, stemmed from his discovery during his millions of years of commanding the Skytiger Legion. He had unearthed a hidden hand shrouded in darkness, one that incessantly influenced him, thereby controlling his destiny and the fate of the entire Cybertron Planet.

Through countless years of relentless investigation, Megatron had ultimately located the puppet master behind the scenes, and it was none other than his own mentor, Lord Fallen.

The thought that Lord Fallen's shadow loomed behind many of the hardships Megatron had endured in the past continued to stoke his hatred.

It was easy to imagine that when, a year ago, he had agreed with Sentinel Prime to fake his own death, hide beneath the sea, and await the moment when Sentinel Prime and the Autobots would eliminate Lord Fallen, but one of his inconspicuous Decepticons had snooped into his deepest secrets, Megatron's anger and murderous intent had grown.

"Starscream..."

In a tone that concealed nothing but murderous intent, he ordered, "Mobilize your troops and bring me Frenzy's head!"

Megatron didn't entirely trust Starscream's words. His knowledge of Skyfire was limited, though he had heard Shockwave mention him in the past. Shockwave was, in a way, both a friend and a student.

But he knew his most loyal lieutenant well. During the era of the Council of Primes, Shockwave had been one of Cybertron Planet's most renowned scientists and scholars. His outrage against the decadent rule of the nobility had caused him to publicly criticize the Council of Primes multiple times, bringing considerable trouble to the corrupt nobles.

The Council of Primes' patience wore thin, and after repeated public criticism by Shockwave, they initially tried to recruit him. When that failed, they grew infuriated and expelled Shockwave from the Academy of Sciences. Shortly afterward, they sent troops to forcibly shut down the [Zelasas Advanced Technology Institute] established by Shockwave in the name of disseminating dangerous knowledge, attributed to his mentor.

Seeing that Shockwave still wouldn't yield, the Council of Primes finally ran out of patience. After the Speaker signed a secret draft specifically targeting him, Shockwave was arrested on charges of "cruel experiments during the secret reboot of Quintesson colonization of Cybertron," and he was then sent to Osgo Prison, reserved for the torture of political prisoners.

During his time in Osgo Prison, Shockwave suffered cruel torment at the hands of many parliament members he had criticized publicly. He was subjected to the 'Five Punishments,' having his hands and legs severed, and even his intelligent, brilliant, and amicable brain was brutally removed and stored in a nutrient chamber.

The nobles relentlessly tortured him, using the cruelest methods in an attempt to shatter his psyche entirely, as they believed that nothing would be more satisfying than completely destroying an enemy's mental state.

In the end, they both failed and succeeded.

During those years of imprisonment and torment, Shockwave remained steadfast in his beliefs that the decadence of the Council of Primes and the relentless oppression of the populace by the nobility would ultimately lead to their downfall, just as the Quintesson star colonizers had been overthrown by the awakened masses.

But the nobles' repeated brutal abuse of Shockwave's body and mind ultimately twisted his character and thoughts.

Shockwave no longer placed his hopes on using peaceful means to change the decrepit Council of Primes. As a result, he transformed from a scientist and scholar into a warrior and renegade with unwavering beliefs.

After enduring more than two years of torment within Osgo Prison, the academic and scientific community of Cybertron launched protest after protest to rescue Shockwave.

Ultimately, the Council of Primes had to compromise, acknowledging that they couldn't simply execute Shockwave, a renowned scholar and scientist of Cybertron, as they would a mere slave.

Upon his release, the drastically changed Shockwave never again mentioned his opposition to the Council of Primes. This caused disappointment in some of his friends and students who had previously admired and trusted him, as they distanced themselves from Shockwave.

It was during this time that Skyfire chose to leave Cybertron, unable to see a hopeful future for the planet, embarking on a journey into the unknown.

However, what he didn't know was that Shockwave, with the support of Sentinel Prime, had quietly begun to interact with Megatron, a lowly gladiator slave in the arenas, who harbored ambitions of seizing control of Cybertron's military and government. Eventually, they recognized and supported each other, leading the Skytiger Legion to its present state.

Therefore, while Starscream mentioned Skyfire, he didn't yet know the true extent of Megatron's plans. Out of respect for Shockwave, who had been loyal to him for millions of years, he wasn't ready to act against him just yet.

As for "Onslaught," Megatron had no belief that this individual had the audacity to resist him.

The commander of the Skytiger Legion's vehicular units was a veteran within the Decepticon ranks.

Unfortunately, this individual was a perfectionist who favored intellectual competition and tactical planning over combat. If only "Onslaught" could focus on commanding a region without the need for further technological expertise, Megatron wouldn't mind granting him more authority and trust.

But this individual had serious flaws in his character – he was overly self-assured and often fell into states of anger, rage, or even depression when his military operations failed.

At the inception of the Skytiger Legion, the vehicular units were one of Megatron's primary fighting forces. However, under "Onslaught's" command, their significance gradually waned, to the point that they had no place within the Skytiger Legion once the Replica Legion and the colossal Devastator appeared.

Perhaps "Onslaught" harbored anger and hostility towards Megatron behind his back, but he didn't believe this individual would dare openly betray him.

Starscream lowered his head, appearing exceptionally respectful.

"My lord, everything shall transpire as you desire. However, Frenzy's strength is not to be underestimated, and he has a few capable warriors under his command. I need some time to prepare!"

Megatron's voice was filled with impatience. "How long do you need?"

"Approximately ten Earth days!"

Though uncertain about Starscream's intentions behind the scenes, Megatron begrudgingly accepted this time frame.

With a cold snort, he said, "Very well, I grant you this preparation time. Ten days from now, bring me Frenzy's head!"

"Yes, my lord!"

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 758: Black Market Battle (Part 1)