The Diego Diaries: (DD8 127)
This was supposed to go out last night but the chihuahua had an itchy ear. When the chiweewee can't sleep, no one can. HUGS TO ALL!
=0=There
The Seekers gathered together with Hercy to discuss where they would fly and how far. Intel was needed especially of the colony and they would do it in three groups. The elders who were outlining the plan sat around the fire pit with humans here and there. It was sunny and warm so everyone was collecting solar energy in their own way including the humans who were sunning themselves.
When Warlord and Red Wing were satisfied, they took four mechs each while Saber followed with three. Walking slightly away, they sprung up, then lit their afterburners. It was amazing to everyone watching to see a jet take off from a vertical start into the sky in nanoseconds.
It was also amazing to see everyone of them hit some kind of invisible ceiling, transform from the shock of it, then fall back toward the ground almost as fast.
"What the frag …" Jack said as he leaped up, then jumped over the humans closest to him.
Everyone who could did the same as the Seekers hit the ground hard, bounced, then lay still. It was riotously loud, then silent as a tomb. Everyone who'd jumped either over the humans or out of the way raised their helms warily.
Rising to stand first, Ratchet ran over to the mechs and began to scan them. One-by-one, he checked them out, then turned toward the shocked group. "No one is really hurt. They got slammed good but its just concussive. They're designed to take a lot of punishment. Let's get them sorted out."
It took a moment to raise the groggy mechs to their peds, walk them to the fire pit, then sit them down again. Walking among them, Ratchet treated, adjusted and wifi-ed scripts to the group to help them emerge out of their stupor.
Warlord stared upward, then around himself. "What the frag."
"Its taking all I got not to laugh, Warlord. Remember, we're laughing at you, not with you," Jack said with a chuckle as the humans stared at the Seekers with varying degrees of shock and surprise. "What did you find? An upper limit to the dome?"
Warlord looked up again, then toward Jack. "It would appear so. Something tells me we can't fly here. If I had to stay here very long I'd begin to truly and deeply hate this place," he said as he rubbed his helm.
"This was fragged," Red Wing said, then he chuckled. "Anyone get film of that?"
Ratchet did. He expected it to happen but didn't say a word. They'd spend a few moments watching the bugs hit the windshield, then pass beer powder around. They'd have to make a new plan and beer always helped.
=0=Ops Center
"If we go there we have to risk whoever did getting snagged. Who can we afford to lose?" Arcee asked with a smirk. "Do I ask you or do I ask Ultramus Prime?"
Snickers greeted that as Magnus frowned at Arcee. "Who would you suggest we send?"
"I'll go."
Everyone glanced at Elita.
"We can go, the team. We can get the equipment there and help send back the messages. I don't think you can afford to lose us but we're up to it," Elita said with a smirk.
"We are?" Chromia asked with a smirk of her own.
"I'm coming," Maelstrom said as he sat beside her, his usual and only happy place.
"One shuttle, you, Elita lead." Prowl glanced at Wheeljack and Perceptor. "Who goes from the two of you?"
Both of them looked uncomfortable, then Perceptor glanced at Wheeljack. "I will. 'Jack can stay with Resolve. This is only temporary."
"From your lips to Primus's audials," Elita said. She loved Percy and his fuddling when everything wasn't clearly known and drawn out was hilarious to her.
Percy frowned slightly. "I refuse to countenance any other outcome."
Wheeljack frowned. "It WILL be only temporary."
"Very well," Prime said. "Let us get this going."
The group stood, then the team walked out together. Everyone watched them go including Joe Bowers, John Fulton and Glenn Morshower. Then everyone sat again.
:I hope this works: Morshower said with a sigh. :I want to know what's going on there:
"You and me both, Glenn," Optimus said.
=0=Getting there
They flew through a bridge created by Trigger 2 into space that was relatively clear but for two nearby stars, relatively, who were orbited by a number of planets. They flew their heavily laden science ship toward the second solar system heading toward the point of no return. As they did, they were sending real time data back through the four high speed expediters of their progress.
Ops Center was receiving it until they didn't.
=0=On the ground
"We have another ship," Reset said as he mulled over the expanding problem before them. He glanced at his mechs. "These we take into custody. We need leverage with the others. We'll greet, then jump them. Gather the appropriate forces, Lever. We can't make a mistake again."
They hurried out to get organized.
=0=Up there
They were in one place and now in another. Their ship, a large shuttle-type vessel groaning with scientific equipment was in orbit of a beautiful and rare Earth-type planet.
Perceptor glanced at the crew who were coming out of it, then his console. Data was flowing in. This was so Earth-like that humans could breathe without gear. There appeared to be little to no sentient-type lifeforms but rather insects, some bird types and fish. It was an idyll as one would say in Earth's past, a beautiful paradise of flowers, untouched unspoil- "We have a colony. They're calling us." Percy put the message on the intercom.
"Welcome to our colony. Thank you for coming. Please come down. We have much to discuss about getting rescued. My name is Reset and I'm the leader of this colony. We bid you welcome. We are waiting for you on the ground."
The message ended.
Perceptor glanced at Momentum, the captain of the vessel and a long time Autobot soldier. "It would appear we have an invitation."
"Let's go down and see. Keep your powder dry, boys. Anything can happen," Momentum said as the ship began to descend to the ground below.
=0=Nearby
"Are you feeling able again or do you want more time?" Ratchet asked as he ran data on all of them. Given they were front line adult Seekers and having spent a lifetime in the sky and war, they were experts at falling down hard, then getting up again however slow. Even if they were incapacitated, they were tough enough to usually walk away from the event.
Relatively.
"I think the fog has lifted. I'd suggest that we take a hike to figure out the dimensions of our cage. I'm not flying into that again. It was like being caught by a big hand, then thrown to the ground hard," Red Wing said as the others nodded.
"Ratchet."
Ratchet glanced at Steiner. "What?"
"I'm picking up a shuttle, our shuttle signature type and its heading for the colony right now," Steiner said as he rose. "I think someone has arrived to assist us. If the others get cross hairs of them who knows what might happen?"
Everyone rose to check their weapons, then Lissie glanced at the humans. "Stay here. The infants will guard you. We're going to assist our people. This is out of your league so stay put." With that, the group of elders minus most everyone else began to walk toward the colony taking the dirt road forward.
The younger mechs watched them go minus the twins who fell in with the elders. Then Smokey glanced down at the humans. "If you weren't here we could go."
"And get your butt kicked," Corey McFarlane said. He grinned. "You and Not Rod both."
Hot Rod glanced down at Corey, then at Smokey. "Not me. Maybe you but not me."
"Is that so," Smokey replied hotly.
"Ahem."
The two turned toward Clarice.
"If you two get into a fight you'll step on us and you'll never get off Prowl's shit list and Raptor's detail. How about everyone relaxing? Maybe the ship has some answers."
The mechs stared at her, then each other. With elaborate disdain, Not Rod and Smokey the Minute One walked to opposite sides of the fire pit to sit. Either Clarice had the knack or they were not willing to provoke Prowl and Raptor further. It would be hilarious either way.
=0=Landing
The shuttle settled down and the ramp slid out. Walking down it, Perceptor and the others stepped out to take in the view. Shuttles were parked here, many, and the residents of the colony were out. Some of them were mingled among the shuttles and everyone in Percy's group could detect weapons from the locals.
Perceptor paused before Reset. "I am Autobot Commander Perceptor of Crystal City, Co-Director of the Empire's Sciences with my bond. I am here to help you figure out what is happening and to find the occupants of those shuttles. Two reconnaissance teams are missing and presumed to be stranded here with you. Your colony is on our charts for recovery after we detected your distress signal."
"I'm Reset of Capitol City. I'm the director of this colony. Our distress signal was low band and automatic because we were afraid of attracting the wrong company. We never expected to be found. Won't you please come with us? We can sit down to talk about all of these matters," he said calmly.
"Our personnel …" Perceptor persisted. "Where would they be?"
"Where we're going,"
Perceptor glanced at Momentum who shrugged. "Very well," he said, then he began to follow Reset and three mechs toward the colony. The others followed along with him.
=0=Elders
They reached the edge of the landing field. A science shuttle was there but the mechs were gone. What wasn't missing were a ring of armed mechs from the colony guarding all of the shuttles.
"Where are the mechs who came with that new shuttle?" Lissie called out.
"Go back to your place," one of the mechs replied.
"When we get our people," Raptor said.
"Leave or we shoot," the first mech replied.
"You don't want to do that, slagger. We have more firepower than you and we know how to use it," Steiner replied.
"And we have your friends," the first mech said. "Leave. Now."
Raptor stared at them, then glanced at the others. "We need to bring bigger guns." He stared at the situation a moment, then turned to go without a word.
The others stared at the shuttles and the mechs recording their location and faces, then silently began to follow them back to the dirt road that led to their camp.
=0=In a basement cell
The door closed and it was silent.
Perceptor who was recording with his internal tech which was something to behold for even an equipment bot glanced at the others. "Giving up was the right thing. We will study this, then leave."
"Just like that?" Momentum asked as he sat on a bench inside the cell. "I admire your spirit, Perceptor."
Percy glanced at him, then the door. "You would do good to admire that I served with the Wreckers, Momentum."
=0=At the camp
It was a grim rendition of the facts that filled their minds as they considered the problem before them. Their people, probably Wheeljack and/or Perceptor included were being held and it was now more in balance for the colonists. They had leverage over the bots here.
"Well, those slaggers need a lesson," Raptor said as they sat around the fire pit strategizing.
"I wonder who's with Percy? I can only imagine that its someone who is-," he said as he paused to receive in internal message. He grinned slightly. "Well, ask and you shall receive," he said with no small relief and amusement.
=0=TBC 03-31-2021 A tip of the hat to Misty Legionaire and Silverhornd for the suggestions not all of which have yet been used. :D:D:D Yet. ;)