Chapter 2
A few hours later at the Ark.
"Pryme, I just can't believe that we had our rear axles handed to us by the Decepticreeps." Ironhide staggered to a chair in the command room.
"Yes, I know Ironhide the organization they had was quite elaborate. The lack of which has always been our ally." Prime's voice noted the concern he felt about the new threat. "Have Ratchet start repairs, I will be in my office. Prowl, after your turn in the repair bay, meet me there." Prime's wounds were only surface burns, nothing that his self-repair systems and a new coat of paint could not fix.
As asked Prowl reached Prime's office. "You wanted to see me."
"Yes Prowl, as our tactician, I wanted your thoughts on what happened today." Prowl stood uneasily, Prime had not yet turned to see him.
"Well I can assume, that it was a plan that Soundwave had derived."
Prime finally turned. "Negative, I have learned the difference, it was definitely Megatron's plan, but the strategy was not."
Prowl looked a little concerned. "I don't understand, normally Megatron's plans end up blowing the entire area up, where as Soundwave protects the installation. Today that happened, so naturally I suspected Soundwave."
"True, but I know Megatron better than that. The location was not that which Soundwave would choose.Something else is going on." Prime sat back playing the last few moments of the battle in his mind. "What about Starscream?"
"He is a lose cannon, besides he is on our side. He causes more problems for the Decepticons than we do." Sarcasm filtered through Prowls words.
"That was the difference, Starscream picked Megatron up then, later ordered the others to leave, not retreat, but to leave. I know it seems impossible, but perhaps Megatron and Starscream have learned to work together." Prime's optics brightened.
"I don't know about that, Starscream and Megatron have been battling for many years just to quit and play nice." Prowl thought for a moment. "You don't think that Starscream actually took control do you?"
Prime shook his head. "No, Megatron would never allow that. He would be deactivated first."
Three days later at the Decepticon underwater base. Starscream has entered the war room looking for Soundwave.
"Have you found another energy source?"
"Affirmative." Soundwave's harmonic monotone voice rang out.
"Good. Where?" Starscream paced impatiently.
" Hydro electric plant: Border of Arizona and Nevada."
"What is the landscape like?"
"High desert: mountainous area."
"Good so it will be easier to defend. And our defense?"
"Two combiner teams would be adequate with your aerial force."
"What has Megatron said?" Starscream stood thinking. 'Each combiner team has its advantage. Devastator has strength, but Longhaul's bed could be used for transportation of the energon. Menasor has speed, and that speed could be used by Motormaster to also haul the energon. Bruticus is smart and can take Superion alone, then again Blastoff is a shuttle and Vortex is a helicopter both can fly out energon.'
"Megatron has given me complete preparation command." Soundwave looked at Starscream expecting him to be mad.
"Good, then you can approve my strategy, maybe we can avoid an argument." Starscream sat at the table next to Soundwave. "What I propose we do is leave Devastator and Menasor to defend with Megatron, Brawl, Swindle, and Onslaught. We will use Blastoff and Vortex to help with the transportation. Then again systematically call by size of cargo space."
"The Autobots will be expecting that again."
"I hope they do. I have looked at the map, there is two roads going in or out they may try to come in on both sides. I will have my two teams patrolling, the first team will attack the first group. Dirge and his team will continue to patrol, if the Autobots think that they can sneak up, they will sadly be mistaking." Starscream sat back.
"Your strategy is sound." Soundwave put away his holomap. "I will inform Megatron."
Again the Screamers strategy paid off and, the underwater base was filled with energon. Megatron sat in his office with a content smile on his face, thinking about the last battle. All of his troops had been fully energized; something the Autobots had kept them from for sometime now. A thought kept creeping in to his processors. 'Would things been different many years ago if I had listened to him then?' As soon as the thought entered it passed with another. 'Such strategies would have never worked an Cybertron, there was no energy to collect.'
Megatron sat back satisfied with himself, the latest battle was in the Decepticon favor, he and the other ground forces had beaten the Autobots into a retreat, with out the help of the jets.
The sound of the door chime jerked him out of his thoughts.
"Enter." He released the lock on the door.
Soundwave entered carrying a data pad.
"Report." Megatron sat forward in his chair waiting the good news.
"Energon has been transported to Cybertron." Soundwave's harmonic tone was in a major key.
"Good. Shockwave's report?" Megatron's optic brow rose.
"Four more such strikes will allow him to wake the last two sectors."
"Excellent. What of Starscream?" Megatron turned away to his ocean view.
"Hook has stabilized him. Repairs will take sometime." Soundwave's voice took a more solemn tone.
"We can wait."
Optimus Prime paced the command room thinking, replaying the battle over and over. It was the second time the Decepticons had issued a beating to him. He knew that when he rolled up, the jets would be aiming for him, so instead of looking for Megatron he searched for Starscream. Starscream passed right over his head; he fired hitting Starscream four times causing the jet to spiral into the ground. The operation continued as planned, that ruled Starscream from being the leader. He had no recall of what happened after Megatron had jumped on him, blasting him at point blank range. The next thing he knew Ratchet was patching him up to retreat.
He also knew that his troops out numbered the Decepticons by three to one, the only fact that changed that was the Decepticons were in fact warriors, which nullified their numbers. The numbers now meant nothing, he and the Autobots had never been beaten that badly on earth. He had to come up with a new strategy and soon before the Decepticons had enough energy to come looking for them.
