Transformers: Retribution Read Free Page A

chance of a good fight? You lot
do
remember how to fight, don’t you?”
    “You keep talking and I might have to show you,” Ramjet answered while powering up his laser blade. Starscream stepped between his two air raiders.
    “Enough; save your energy for the real enemy.” The bay doors cycled open as the warriors seamlessly switched to jet-attack mode. They swarmed out of the
Nemesis
in tight formation, accelerating through dozens of Gs asthey raced toward the signal. Ahead lay a vast cloud of rocks and a sun flickering deep within.
    “Wait for my command to resume jet-trooper mode,” said Starscream. “Stay on my six, Thundercracker. The rest of you form attack pattern delta.” Thundercracker swung in directly behind Starscream, sunlight flitting off the red streaks on his wings. With incredible grace, the whole formation weaved in and out of the dense debris field on vectors that would allow them to respond to any attack from hidden ships. It was a task that would have been impossible for lesser pilots. If there were enemy ships in here, they were well hidden. The Seekers could detect nothing. As they closed on the asteroid that marked the signal’s exact coordinates, Starscream gave the final go-ahead; the Seekers fired their thrusters and descended down toward the rock like giant birds of prey.
    “There,”
said Thundercracker. He’d just spotted a single small ship tethered against a crater in the asteroid. Starscream and his Seekers switched to jet-trooper mode, firing their retrothrusters to slow their approach, landing in a tight circle around that ship, their guns aimed at what looked like a—
    “Lifeboat,” Thrust said, sounding disappointed.
    “It’s not even Autobot design,” Dirge added.
    “Cover us,” Starscream said as he and Thundercracker advanced on the craft.
    “Where are all the Autobots?” a puzzled Ramjet asked. “Where’s the Ark?”
    “Maybe it’s been destroyed,” said Skywarp.
    “Shut up and get this thing open,” Starscream snarled. Thundercracker ripped off the hatch to reveal a battered orange and yellow robot, obviously still functional but restrained and hardwired into the ship’s systems. The bot looked up at them plaintively.
    “Hello, mate,” he said. “Be a good ’un and release me, eh?”
    “Who the slag are you?” Starscream asked.
    “Wreck-Gar is the name; wheeling and dealing junk is my game.” He grinned wanly through his goatee. “Or at least it
was
.”
    “It’s one of those Junkion robots,” Dirge offered.
    “
One
of?” Wreck-Gar looked offended. “Guv’nor of the lot, more like it. Show a little respect”—but that was when Starscream ripped him out of his restraints, grabbed him by the neck, and pressed an arm-mounted laser up to his eyes.
    “
Respect
is an interesting word,” said the air commander. “But I feel you and I might differ on its meaning.”
    “No need to get so hot under the collar,” Wreck-Gar said.
    “So tell me where the Autobots are,” Starscream said, his voice dangerously soft.
    “No Autobots here. Haven’t seen any of those blighters in a fair while.”
    “Then there’s no reason why I shouldn’t blast you—”
    “Hey, I’m picking up energy readings,” Debris said.
    Starscream glanced at him. “Where?”
    “Um, in every direction.”
    Asteroids all around them suddenly split open like monstrous eggs, each one shattering to reveal a warship within. Too late, Starscream realized the nature of the trap—so many of those giant rocks were just cleverly constructed shells. And now each warship belched forth hundreds of smaller pirate marauders. Leading the armada was the monstrous catamaran flagship
Tidal Wave
, both of its hulls bristling with guns.
    “Not these guys again,” Thrust muttered. He figured they’d seen the last of the Star Seekers back at Junkion. Hunting the Autobots was tough enough without a gangof marauders getting in the way, especially when they were led by a relentless