Disclaimer: All recognisable characters and places belong to HasTak, anything you don't recognise is probably mine.

Part 7: Adjustments
Chapter 5 of 5

Sideswipe lingered by the door but Prowl gestured him out and he reluctantly closed it as Diametric settled into the chair.

"Thank you for finding time to see me. I do appreciate it."

"You're welcome. How can I help you?"

"Ah, direct. But of course, you are a busy mech. I won't disrupt you for long."

Prowl steeled himself.

He could almost hear the accusation before it was stated and wondered again how he was going to get out of this. Could he bluff his way through? Just how much did Diametric know? Most importantly, could he be sure he would still have Sideswipe's support once the truth was revealed? If not, this could go very badly indeed.

"This will seem like a peculiar question but given your specialty I wondered if you had come across anyone with... unusual talent for your field for his age."

"His age?" Prowl echoed blankly, his processors racing.

His? As in someone else's? Why not make the accusation directly?

Diametric sighed.

"An acquaintance contacted me some time ago about a sparkling he had begun training as a strategist. The youth was supposed to be sent to me at Ovacalix some vorns ago and I was to guide him here to complete his training but he never arrived."

Prowl had a sudden epiphany and nearly laughed aloud in surprise. Nearly.

"What was his name, this sparkling?" he asked, trying to sound casually interested.

"I was never told. He was to seek me out, you see."

The intense relief of the realisation that Diametric was not a threat left him feeling slightly dizzy. All those vorns of fearing the wrong word to the wrong mech would end his career, only to find that his mentor never actually described him well enough for anyone to recognise him. If Diametric did not know enough to identify him, then surely no-one could: the older mech was to escort him here and make the introductions.

"That does sound unusual." he agreed, fighting to keep his elation out of his tone. "What was your friend's name? Perhaps I have come across him."

It was the perfect opportunity to ask. Jazz had seemed so startled that he had not known his own mentor's designation that it had made him curious as well. Why did he not recall his own mentor's name? Had he really never heard it?

"Well that is difficult to say." Diametric grimaced. "We weren't close, I only met him a few times. Clever fellow. Scientist, I think, although he never said which field he worked in. He was somewhat cagey about names. Told me I could call him 'Asher' but made no secret of the fact that it was not his true designation. Very strange mech. Still, he spoke so highly of his student's progress that I was quite looking forward to meeting him."

Disappointing not to have a real name, curious that he would hide it, pleasing to know his mentor had been happy with him. From what he could remember there had been very little direct praise.

"The name is not familiar to me." he admitted. "But I will watch out for a scientist with a trainee strategist. Now, was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Actually, yes. I was wondering if you could help me get back to Ovacalix: I've been stuck here for half a vorn waiting for transport."

"I'm sure we can organise something." Prowl smiled, relaxing back into his seat. "After all, we would not want you to be absent if this sparkling does turn up looking for you. Would you care to join me for breakfast? It seems I have a little more time in my schedule after all, and perhaps if you tell me more about this 'Asher' I might recognise him."

"So are you ever gonna tell me what all this was about?" Sideswipe asked quietly as they trailed behind Sibilant towards the next class.

Prowl glanced at him curiously.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're asking."

"First off I thought we'd come to recruit. But you haven't even talked to any of the snipers since that dinner. Then I thought maybe it was about doing some research, but you're only spending the night in there, not working through the orn, and if it was official then you should be able to just do what you need to. And then that mech Diametric turns up and you're all nervous, but after you talk to him you've relaxed. Was he some kind of spy?"

"I very much doubt it." Prowl shook his head. "Diametric was seeking a missing sparkling; I have never met him before, and I imagine that once he transfers to a transport ship we are unlikely to meet again. If I am relieved, then it is because I have identified some viable candidates to work in the tactical office with me, which means we can now head back. The transporter is already on its way."

Sideswipe stopped.

"If you've made your decision, why are we still doing this?"

"I am also inspecting this facility." Prowl told him mildly. "It would be better used as a military base than this civilian space."

Sideswipe glanced around.

"That's not exactly going to be popular."

Prowl shook his head slightly.

"It would be a better use, but it is not what I will recommend at this stage. Our need for defensive spaces is not yet that great. But having seen it myself allows me to prepare."

Sideswipe folded his arms, frowning.

"Okay. So that explains the tour and Diametric. What about the research? You've been searching through those old files for orns like they had some big secret in them. What's up with that?"

"Are you two coming or not?" Sibilant called irritably, finally noticing that they had stopped.

Prowl walked on and Sideswipe hurried to catch up.

"So? What was in them?"

"Not what I had hoped." Prowl responded.

And that was the only answer he got.

Epilogue

Unexpectedly Tripwire had travelled with the transport shuttle, his arrival relieving Prowl of the tedium of a dry lecture on Altihexian social ranking. The purpose of such classes entirely eluded him: they would help no-one in fighting this war, and if the war was not won then no-one would survive to use the data.

He had not expected the second in command to come for him and wondered what crisis had occurred now. Whatever it was, he felt ready to handle it. The realisation that no-one was going to discover the secret of his age had lifted a weight of worry off him that he had not even known he was carrying.

Dismissing both Sibilant and Sideswipe, he headed in to the small conference room where the senior officer was waiting and found him admiring the view.

"I've always liked Kalisi." Tripwire commented. "It reminds me of Polyhex."

Prowl remained silent, having nothing to say to that, and after a moment the Security Directory sighed and turned to face him.

"Well, to business. I've put in the transfer papers for the three you've named. They'll be informed this evening and will travel back with us. But that is not why I am here. We have finally identified those responsible for the attacks on you."

Prowl waited for more but it seemed Tripwire was expecting some kind of reaction, so he obliged him.

"Excellent. Who was it?"

"There were eleven of them all up, but three ringleaders: one in comms, one working in the docking bay, and one in the security team. Specifically the unit leader for the squad assigned to guard the tactical office."

"Acetone." Prowl mused. "He was in charge of all the investigations."

"Precisely." Tripwire scowled. "No wonder we never got anywhere. In fact, it seems several of the suspects he identified may have been entirely innocent. We are looking in to that.

"In other news, Curveball's agents have finally located Megatron. He's been seen with Shockwave on a small moon out in the Tarind Sector. It seems they're building a new base out there."

"So far away?" Prowl frowned, calling up a starchart sketch in his processor and trying to determine some advantage from the move.

"Prime wants you investigating what purpose it has. Maybe put these new recruits of yours onto it. There must be some reason, we just can't see it yet. Even more worrying, he seems to have done a shake-up of his staff.

"We know that he has a new strategy team, headed by a mech named Powerplay. We know that the Nemesis and six of the other heavy cruisers got caught in the wake of that solar flare in Xalain Sector and need repairs. We also know that Megatron has done this before: consolidating for vorns at a time before striking out with new weapons. And we do know he has a new weapon."

"What new weapon is that?" Prowl asked.

Tripwire shook his head.

"Hard to say. They're being unusually quiet about it, whatever it is. So far all we know is that something's going on; something more than we've seen."

Prowl found himself now staring at the view. A new weapon, new bases in distant locations, new strategists. What did it mean?

"We need to work harder." he declared quietly. "We need our manufactories to produce faster, we need to recruit more quickly and train more comprehensively. Whatever is coming, we must be ready for it."

"And if we're not?"

"We have no choice."

End of Part 7