Chapter 88: The Small Mechanical Ecosystem
Despite his initial confidence, Starscream was utterly stunned once the underground space fully opened before him.
At first, he had assumed that this subterranean chamber would be similar to the dungeon he'd discovered before if he could locate an energy signature resembling the AllSpark, he'd surely find his target.
However, upon entering, he was met with a unique mechanical ecosystem: thousands of flickering waves of light radiating from countless energy sources of varying sizes.
There was no logical way such a confined space could contain over a thousand Transformers, especially when so many emitted such faint energy auras. It was utterly irrational!
Clearly, this phenomenon was beyond Starscream's comprehension especially the sight that unfolded once he activated his scanners, which completely shattered his understanding of the world.
It was… a rat. A curious little creature one of those ordinary mammals that enjoyed living near humans, scavenging their leftovers. But this time, the rat he saw was no mammal at all it was a strange, mechanical lifeform.
You could call it purely mechanical, yet its gray "fur" and "skin" didn't resemble the steel plates of a robotic dinosaur. Still, its exposed bones shimmered with a metallic sheen as if a powerful force had forcibly transformed it from an organic mammal into this current form.
"Zzap!"
Just as Starscream was about to examine the mechanical rat more closely, the reckless pterosaur suddenly opened his hard beak and snapped it up, chewing it like a peanut.
The poor mechanical rodent didn't even have time to squeak before becoming the Pterosaur's meal. A trickle of greenish-red liquid dripped from the dinosaur's mouth, and what looked like a small screw shot out from between his teeth…
Alright then. That seemed to be pure instinct the primal appetite of a mechanical dinosaur. He showed no interest in organic mammals, but when faced with these mechanical creatures, the Pterosaur instantly reverted to his prehistoric predator instincts.
Perhaps drawn by the "scent" of food, the otherwise calm Thunder Dragon beside him silently transformed into his colossal form, stomping the ground with his massive forelimbs.
"Come out, little pests! I, Muddy, haven't had a proper meal in centuries! Never thought I'd find something like this after leaving the Cybertronian swamps! Hahaha!"
What on Cybertron? Weren't Thunder Dragons supposed to be herbivores? This one clearly wasn't.
"Chitter! Chitter! Chitter!"
Startled by Muddy's booming voice or the shaking ground, a crack suddenly split open in front of Starscream and at least a dozen mechanical rats and other small mech-beasts of various shapes came scurrying out, fleeing in all directions.
It seemed this Decepticon underground base had somehow evolved into a fully sealed ecosystem completely separate from the natural world above populated entirely by mechanical lifeforms.
Whether these mechanical creatures had formed on their own or been forcibly transformed, the two robotic dinosaurs before him clearly felt right at home. They forgot their previous agreement with Starscream entirely and began gleefully chasing the little mech-beasts around devouring them in a disturbingly feral feeding frenzy.
"Host, based on my analysis and cross-reference with stored data, these mechanical creatures resemble the planet's original inhabitants in appearance, but their internal structures are Cybertronian in nature. It seems the Fallen deliberately created this environment as a mechanical paradise. Perhaps, long ago, he planned to transform this planet into a world similar to Cybertron itself. However, his transformation methods appear excessively forceful."
The Transformers System quickly reached its conclusion after scanning the mechanical creatures. In truth, Starscream had already witnessed such forced transformations once before during his encounter with the Huns. While the success rate was low, the process of turning organic beings into mechanical ones was undeniably possible.
However, for the weaker native lifeforms of this planet, being forcibly transformed into robots meant losing their souls entirely becoming mere puppets under higher mechanical masters.
Thus, such conversion processes had been explicitly banned under Autobot governance on Cybertron. That was why the Autobots once ventured into distant galaxies to conduct controlled experiments perhaps the same reason why the Fallen had abandoned his homeworld and traveled to this solar system.
Regardless of planetary conditions, the Fallen had achieved a degree of success within this confined space. Yet, the ecosystem of an entire planet is vastly different from that of a sealed artificial chamber it requires both a powerful spark and a stable mechanical energy cycle.
So far, Cybertron remained the only known purely mechanical planet in the universe said to have been forged eons ago by the Transformer civilization using advanced technology, not by replacing existing organic worlds.
In that sense, the Fallen could be considered a pioneer in his field though his methods were far too extreme to ever gain widespread acceptance.
Back in those early ages, the Decepticons weren't as ruthless as they would later become. Some even shared ideological similarities with the Autobots, and this fractured philosophy contributed to the ultimate failure of the Fallen's grand design.
Even though the Fallen himself was an invincible warrior, as the saying goes: one hand cannot clap alone. Without a strong following or competent subordinates, his chances of success were nearly zero.
And so, perhaps the only thing the Fallen managed to accomplish… was the creation of this miniature experimental world.
(End of Chapter)
I invite you to read my new fanfic about Fullmetal Alchemist. It's 100% my own work, I hope you like it.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Under the Law of Equivalence
https://www.webnovel.com/book/34562609200143405