Chapter 654: The New Iron Fortress (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Optimus Prime had yet to fully fall out with the Autobots parliament, so he refrained from saying much regarding Rodimus and Hot Rod.

"The fall of the Iron Fortress and the uncertain fate of my mentor, Sentinel Prime, have indeed shattered the spirits of many Autobots, causing them to lose faith in resisting the Decepticons."

Seeing Jack, he whispered reassuringly, "You've arrived just in time. We've established a base on this planet, intending to use it as a foundation to rebuild a new Iron Fortress. We will need plenty of machinery and equipment."

Jack looked at him with surprise, "Leader, isn't this a life-bearing planet?"

Indeed, during Sentinel Prime's reign, among the Autobots, there were as many cold and ruthless ones similar to the Decepticons.

However, Optimus Prime was an exception. His gentleness and humility elevated his status among the Autobot commoners, but many in the military and the old nobility despised him.

In the past, Optimus Prime would never have agreed to establish a new Autobot home on a planet already inhabited. But now, he convinced himself, "The Decepticons have also come to Earth, which is why I've called for more Autobots to come here. We cannot allow the Decepticons to conquer this planet and then destroy it."

At the outset of the Cybertron Civil War, Megatron's Skytiger Legion caught the Autobots off-guard. But up until the mid-phase of the first Civil War, the true strengths of both sides were not vastly different.

This was because Superior General Sentinel Prime had joined the Autobot side, and many moderate old nobles from the Council of Primes era had also sided with the Autobots. This was why, at the end of the first Civil War, both sides could still maintain a stalemate.

However, with the Skytiger Legion's destructive mining and resource extraction within their territories, by the time of the second Civil War, a power gap between the Autobots and the Skytiger Legion rapidly emerged.

While the Autobots were wary because Cybertron was their home planet, the Skytiger Legion had no such qualms.

They mined openly and dug deeper when surface resources were exhausted. When coal, oil, and uranium were depleted, they extracted energy from the planet's core.

Fueled by their rampant plundering of Cybertron, the strength and equipment of the Skytiger Legion rapidly expanded and kept updating, securing victory after victory, until they finally took over Cybertron.

Yet what they had was a hollowed-out planet, on the brink of death.

But how many Decepticons cared? If resources ran out, they would seize more; if Cybertron was gone, they'd mine on other planets.

So, when Optimus Prime mentioned the Decepticons arriving on Earth, the faces of Jack and the newly-arrived Autobots all changed in unison.

"These damned war merchants and invaders..."

Jack nodded gravely at Optimus Prime, "The tragedy of Cybertron should not repeat. Rest assured, Leader, we will prevail in this war."

"Thank you!"

Jack's arrival lifted the spirits of Optimus Prime and the Autobots for several days.

With their previously fallen comrades now revived, the Autobots had completely evacuated from the United States and were primarily stationed within the borders of Solia in Africa.

Under Optimus Prime's command, construction around the New Base had begun.

However, with Jack's arrival, construction at the temporary base in Solia halted.

"Forgive my directness, Leader. This place might be suitable for a sub-base, but the new Iron Fortress shouldn't be here. The terrain is too flat. If the Decepticons attack, our civilians have no defenses. The aerial might of the Skytiger Legion can easily penetrate."

Following Optimus Prime and the other Autobots, Jack soon reached the New Base in Solia. But upon seeing the emerging New Base, Jack frowned and approached Optimus Prime, voicing his concerns.

He didn't think the temporary base in Solia was crude, even though it was indeed quite basic.

However, as more and more Autobots arrived on Earth and joined in the construction, this base, which was originally located in the desert and built around an Underground Warehouse spanning only a few tens of thousands of square meters, had now expanded by several tens of times.

The Autobots not only expanded the underground structures by more than tenfold, but they also fortified them. They even built numerous watchtowers on the surface for surveillance, other defensive facilities, barracks for patrol teams, and Surface Warehouses for storing supplies.

In essence, apart from the robust walls commonly seen in Cybertron Planet's military bases, the temporary base in Solia already had the rudiments of what an Autobots military base should possess.

Optimus Prime nodded. Jack had also experienced the Civil War. During the most perilous battle of the Second Civil War, he, like most of the Autobot civilians, had taken up arms to defend the Iron Fortress in a brief skirmish against the Decepticons.

"You're right; the new Iron Fortress shouldn't be built here! Forget about the Decepticons, even the human satellites above will soon discover us!"

Regarding the location of the new Iron Fortress, before Jack voiced his concerns, his deputy, Ironhide, had already brought it up. Optimus Prime agreed and had already dispatched Ironhide to find a suitable location for the new Iron Fortress.

Currently, Ironhide and his team were still scouting the terrain. Since Optimus Prime decided to choose a remote place within Africa, the available options were limited. Moreover, Ironhide hoped for rich mineral resources near the new Iron Fortress, which further narrowed down their choices.

Shortly after rescuing his girlfriend, Claudia, and returning to Solia, Optimus Prime dispatched Ironhide, who had caused significant destruction in the United States out of rage. Accompanying him were Shake and Skids, who had become much more subdued after their resurrection. Both were re-awakened by Optimus Prime using the Leadership Module. As the leader of the Autobots, he had to be impartial, even if it meant depleting much of the energy in the Leadership Module.

After elaborating to Jack about his deputy Ironhide's mission to find a suitable location for the new Iron Fortress, Jack, with no further objections, immersed himself in the construction of the temporary base.

He was one of the top scientists in the Autobot camp, and he was accompanied by two assistants cum students. Thanks to the efforts of these three Autobots, the temporary base quickly saw the addition of many advanced devices, notably anti-air and surveillance equipment.

But just when Optimus Prime was rejoicing over the rapid development of the Autobots' temporary base due to Jack and his team's arrival, a familiar drone, silent for days, entered Solia airspace, setting off the newly installed Anti-air Warning System and filling the base with blaring alarms.

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