Chapter 222: Return to Planet Chiren

"Understood, Skygnaw. I will handle things here."

With her explicit agreement, Blackarachnia formally accepted Skygnaw's terms.

Though she knew refusing was never a real option, offering willing cooperation was always better than obeying under pressure.

After ironing out the remaining defense protocols, Blackarachnia took her leave, hastily boarding her small shuttle and taking off from the Nemesis.

She was eager to return to her breeding grounds and check on her swarm.

Following her departure, word of Skygnaw's decision to leave Planet Kugrage spread quietly through the ranks.

To lower-tier Decepticons, location mattered little since they simply went where commanded.

The higher-ranking officers, however, harbored mixed feelings about abandoning a rich sector.

Yet no one expected the transition to happen so fast. By the following morning, the massive armada hovering over Zelan City had vanished into deep space, as if the bustling fleet had only been a brief hallucination.

A month later, on the outer rim of the Bripati System.

In the pitch-black void, a patch of empty space began to warp violently. After seconds of intense spatial friction, the strain snapped, tearing open a vibrant rift.

Buzz...

An oval jump point expanded in the dark, shimmering with shifting iridescent colors.

It was an artificial wormhole, forced open by deep-space jump drives.

Moments later, a light reconnaissance ship cautiously cleared the rift, scanning the quiet sector before signaling the main force.

Dozens of massive starships followed in steady formation, filing into the Bripati system.

Though varying in size and specialized design, every vessel bore a distinct insignia stamped across its hull—a stylized Decepticon crest featuring a prominent lower jaw.

At the center of the armada floated a massive, dark purple warship with sharp, angular lines—the Nemesis.

This was Skygnaw's newly constructed fleet.

After jumping out of Planet Kugrage, Skygnaw had not set an immediate course for Cybertron. Instead, he made a calculated detour to Bripati.

He had not forgotten the undead warrior, Cyclonus, who remained trapped on Planet Chiren after consuming Dark Energon.

While an undead Cybertronian held little inherent value, Skygnaw was deeply interested in Dark Energon itself—and the rare Synthetic Energon capable of stabilizing its corrosive effects.

The origins of Synthetic Energon were fascinating.

In The Covenant of Primus, penned directly by Alpha Trion, its discovery was recorded in clear detail:

"...We discovered it far beneath the planetary crust, gleaming like a vein of silver flowing through the rust strata..."

"...Once we confirmed its stability, I ingested a portion. The tired circuits of my frame revived instantly, as if I had returned to the Well of All Sparks when I was first brought into existence, filled with boundless energy..."

"...Decades of research by Solus Prime and the others revealed its volatile nature. It detonated easily under impact, and its raw charge decayed over time if left exposed..."

"...Quintus Prime crafted specialized containment matrixes to stabilize the liquid and preserve its potency, and we named it Synthetic Energon..."

"...From that day on, we possessed a refined source of power..."

As civilizations evolved, ancient truths often faded into forgotten history, though at the time, they were merely everyday discoveries.

Skygnaw had no interest in exploring Cybertron's deepest subterranean depths, but reading those recorded entries inside the Well of All Sparks had clarified the puzzle for him.

Solus Prime had been an exceptionally dedicated creator among the Thirteen Primes, acting as a master artificer who forged weapons and armor for her peers.

Synthetic Energon's raw form had likely been discovered while she searched for rare forging materials beneath the crust.

Before Synthetic Energon was refined, the Thirteen Primes had sustained their frames using raw power sources rather than standard Energon cubes.

While records regarding the exact invention of Energon compression technology were incomplete, Skygnaw deduced that early scientists had developed standard cubes as a synthetic alternative after natural reserves ran dry.

The raw liquid extracted from deep within Cybertron was not a simple mineral deposit—it was the lifeblood of Primus himself.

If standard Energon derived from the blood of a godlike Cybertronian entity, the nature of Dark Energon—often tied to Unicron—raised critical questions.

Previously, Skygnaw lacked both the raw strength and the privacy to investigate, especially with Blackarachnia watching his every move during their initial visit.

Now, with elevated power and total command of the sector, the timing was right to resolve the matter.

He intended to capture Cyclonus alive, unravel the mechanics behind Dark Energon, and pinpoint its exact origin.

Leaving an unknown volatile energy source unexamined was a risk he refused to take. A Prime-level warrior needed to know if exposure to Dark Energon could corrupt a living frame.

The armada glided through the void until a familiar scorched planet appeared along their navigational vector. Skygnaw pushed the control lever forward.

"Razorclaw, take command of the fleet."

"Understood, Lord Skygnaw," Razorclaw replied from his station beside the throne, bowing slightly before exiting the bridge.

At Razorclaw's command, the main fleet slowed its advance, maintaining orbit while the Nemesis broke formation and descended toward Planet Chiren.

Thud.

Cutting through the thin atmosphere, the Nemesis touched down smoothly on the rocky surface.

Hiss...

Rather than heading directly toward the desolate plain where Cyclonus was trapped, Skygnaw decided to survey the immediate landing site first.

Stepping out onto the main deck, he looked out across the terrain. After several years, the landscape remained completely unchanged—a scorched, lifeless wasteland baking under a harsh sun.

"Where are we?" a native Mindborn soldier asked, peering over the deck railing with open curiosity. "There are no signs of life down there. Why did Lord Skygnaw bring us here?"

When departing Planet Kugrage, Skygnaw had left behind the majority of his Cybertronian aerial units, but he had taken a ten-thousand-strong native ground force with him.

Among them was a specialized heavy unit operating about a hundred combat suits.

Though Skygnaw held little high regard for native armor designs, their combat units possessed practical advantages. Against organic infantry, those mechanized suits offered strong fire support, matching the tactical output of basic Decepticon infantry when deployed effectively.

"Watch your tongue!" an older soldier muttered quickly, making a quiet hushing gesture. "Who gave you permission to question Lord Skygnaw's movements?"

"What our leader chooses to do is beyond our place to ask!"

"You are right..." The young soldier swallowed hard, casting a fearful glance toward the massive frame standing near the forward deck edge. "Good thing he didn't hear me..."

Before boarding the Nemesis, Emperor Wala had repeatedly warned every deployed officer that angering Skygnaw meant instant execution.

Terrified, the soldier lowered his head, sensing Skygnaw's gaze shifting in their direction.

By the deck edge, Skygnaw glanced back casually at the two native soldiers, his face unreadable.

He had heard their hushed exchange, as well as the low chatter spreading among the infantry units stationed across the lower flight deck.

Wala's governance over the past two years had aligned cleanly with Skygnaw's expectations. Through steady ideological pressure, the native population had been firmly integrated into the Decepticon operational hierarchy, accepting their role as a vassal race.

At times, Skygnaw wondered if Wala was simply a natural opportunist whose talents had previously gone unnoticed, or if the young Emperor's compliance was driven entirely by survival instincts.

The exact reason mattered little.

Skygnaw cared little for minor gossip among native troops, provided they obeyed orders.

Seeing the chatter fade into quiet discipline, Skygnaw launched into the air, his frame shifting into an assault craft as he soared toward the horizon.

He kept his flight speed moderate, scanning the terrain below.

Before long, several familiar shapes appeared on his sensors—wild Insecticons.

Retrieving Blackarachnia's abandoned specimens was another reason for his visit.

The stray Insecticons she had left behind years ago had multiplied across the scorched plains, reaching an ideal harvest state.

Securing them required a straightforward approach: round them up and cage them.

While Blackarachnia considered the creatures her private asset and kept her control methods secret, Skygnaw saw no reason to press her for details or strain their working relationship.

She remained his top field commander and his only active Commander-tier warrior.

Though their working relationship had improved significantly, it remained built on shared tactical interests rather than absolute trust.

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