The Diego Diaries: Out There (dd6 82)
-0-On their way
Partition sat on his chair on the command deck watching the big mechs working at stations doing the job of flying into danger. He had never been in real danger in his life. His settlement had been left alone until messages came that it was smart to run before the Decepticons came. They left rather swiftly on their way to Prime and the worst part of things, being attacked or harmed was avoided to the biggest degree. Now, he was seeing it from the other side. He was sitting with real soldiers on a real ship heading for what could be danger. This was exciting in a way that was hard to explain even to himself. He was absorbed completely in the moment.
Ratchet watched him out of the corner of his optics noting with interest that he was completely infatuated with the moment. Was he a danger junkie? Was he as clueless as Commotion? Did he understand that the danger they were facing here was probably real and possible? He didn't know but he watched the kid as they came closer to a light source ahead.
"Prime to armada."
Everyone signaled.
"I want medical to stay behind. Get ready to send out teams. Utilize runabouts. Security, form up boarding parties to assist. I want the usual ship-to-ship inspections, Springer. Signal me when you are ready to go. I will make my calls. Standby. Signal receipt."
Everyone did.
Prime who was sitting in the command seat on Salton Sea called for an open channel to the migration. "This is Optimus Prime. We have heard your call and are here to render assistance. I wish the leader of this group to acknowledge."
"This is Focus, Lord Optimus. I'm commanding the group," a deep voice said with weariness and emotion. "We're in dire straights and there may be Decepticons hiding among us, some of us, in groups."
"Please be ready to receive teams to assess need and bring relief. I would appreciate any information you have regarding the Decepticons if you can send it. Please stand by for further conversation," Prime said as he rose. "Ironhide, Raptor, I want you to come. Tell Ratchet and Springer to launch. Have the Seekers disperse through the group to give assistance to Springer and Ratchet's teams. What have the data teams discovered?"
Paragon glanced up from the console nearby as he fulfilled the "Prowl Function' on the mission. "We have about 2,694 individuals spread over a lot of ships. They appear to be in considerable distress and debilitation. The effects of fighting can be seen and they appear to be on their last legs. The Decepticons, if they're in the group are not visible or detectable by moderate means."
Prime nodded. "The operation is yours, Paragon. I am going to the command ship. Pinpoint the location and have a bridge ready to take me there." He walked the elevator with Raptor and Ironhide, then entered to disappear into the ship.
"Paragon to bridge room."
"Bridge room here, Commander."
"Prime and his party wish to bridge to the command ship of the migration. They're on their way. We will transmit coordinates now," he said nodding to the young Home Guardsman sitting nearby. They were sent as Paragon assumed the command seat and the mission.
-0-Phobos
Ratchet rose, then walked to the comm station. "This is Ratchet. The mission is dire. We have starvation, wounds and disease. Our caseload is going to be all ages and shapes. Those of you in command of a segment of the population, be ready to receive patients. Hangar deck … we're going to be receiving patients shortly. Be ready to move." He looked at Partition. "Come with me. We're going to the migration."
"We are?" Partition asked with surprise as he rose to follow Ratchet.
"Oh, frag, yeah," Ratchet said as the door closed on the two. Down they went to the hangar deck. "I'm going to expect you to do absolutely everything I tell you without the usual slag. There's Decepticons in the mix hiding themselves. It could get ugly. If I tell you to run or duck, do it. Do you understand? This is no game. It's real. Tell me that for once you'll obey me without an argument."
Partition stared at Ratchet, then nodded. "Alright."
"You better mean it. The last slagger who thought this was a game got shot through and died on the airfield," Ratchet said. "He was permanently dead, Partition. Dead as in he won't ever get up again."
Partition nodded as he stood uneasily beside Ratchet. "What about a gun. Do I get a gun?"
"No," Ratchet said. "I have mine. I'll shoot if its needed. You just have to help here. There's a lot of innocents that need rescue and maybe you can help. Think on that for a bit."
The door opened onto the hangar deck where the last of the scheduled medical runabouts took off with their crews, doctors or medics. One was left so Ratchet commandeered it, then entered along with a soldier and Partition. He sat, fired it up, then flew out of the hangar into dark space to head for the glowing lights of the migration just ahead.
Partition sat along the bulkhead absorbed in the sight. They flew forward entering the stream of vessels that were rushing to the vast group, some slowing as they slipped in among the broad panorama of ships. Ratchet flew over, then slowed over a ship that looked the worst for wear. Reading its markings, he called to it over the ship intercom. "Vessel 54D-1 Mara's Joy … I'm Ratchet. I'm a doctor. Answer me."
A youngish voice answered. "Help us. My family is so sick. Can you come now?"
"I'm here," Ratchet said. "Standby to open the hatches when we come over." Ratchet glanced at the soldier, Corby, and Partition. "You fly and we go. Hover over the hatch. We're probably going to have to bring out patients for transport right away."
Corby nodded, then assumed the pilot seat. Maneuvering the vessel just so, he put it into fixed location over the hatch just as it opened. Some atmosphere burst out, then froze as light streamed into the darkness of space. Ratchet opened his own hatch, picked up a medic kit, then turned to Partition. "Get that kit and follow me. Push off, glide into the hatch and I'll grab you. Understand?"
Partition nodded as he picked up a kit. He watched as Ratchet poised, shoved off, then glided into the hatch to disappear inside. Waiting a moment to gauge what to do, he did the same. Sliding into the vessel, he was gripped by Ratchet as the hatch was sealed. Everyone stumbled a moment as gravity was restored. Ratchet and Partition looked around, then saw a youngling mech watching them with an agonized expression. "Come with me," he said, then hurried forward.
Ratchet looked at a mesmerized Partition. "Come with me." He hurried after the kid, then Partition followed. They disappeared into the ship almost immediately.
-0-On the lead ship
The commander of the whole group looked at Prime with an incredible sense of emotion. He bowed, then glanced at the hodgepodge of individuals who were with him. An older femme, two older mechs, a youngling femme and several adult mechs stared at Prime like he was a ghost. "Thank you for coming, Lord Optimus. We'd almost given up hope. We're breaking down and when we left we were not prepared for this. We're in very bad shape."
Prime nodded. "We are already in the group. We need more information right now about the Decepticons you believe are with you."
Focus glanced around, then looked at Prime. "We don't have definitive proof but we're sure some of them didn't belong with us at the beginning when we were run off. They seemed to just be here, maybe infiltrating for reasons we don't know."
"You were run off?" Raptor asked.
Focus nodded, then looked almost ready to burst into tears. "They took over our settlements. There are three of them, three settlements that worked together to survive. We have about one hundred forty thousand all together in the three. They're old, made about the time of The Fall. We live out here and because of the rumors and things about the Rifts and the Barren, no one came out here to bother us all this time until now.
"Then the ships came, someone said they were Decepticons with strange beasts and no concerns about killing us. We were heading home, the group here, when they drove us off. They said the colonies were forfeit. Our families, our homes are there and we can't go back. We took a chance to come here because there's no place else to go. Cybertron is in Decepticon hands."
"No, its not," Ironhide said. "We took it back. Autobots hold it and the surrounding area among the five planets."
Focus and the others stared at Prime like they could fall apart. "We didn't know that. We could have … we could have gone that way and avoided all of this. We could have gotten help sooner."
"Who are your aggressors. We need more information," Prime said gently. "What kind of strange beasts?"
"I don't know. They said they had them and that they'd unleash them on our families if we came back," Focus said. "They said that the area was now theirs and the civilians in our settlements were theirs too. My family is there, Prime. HELP US!" he said with enormous emotion. Everyone broke into a babble of grief and demands for help.
Prime gripped Focus by the shoulder, then turned to the others. "We hear you. We had plans to come and get you already made. Caminus has been rescued and they told us about you. It confirmed soundings that we were picking up. We will help you and your settlements. We will liberate your people. You must help us help you."
It silenced, then an elder femme rubbed her face with her servos. "Lord Optimus, my grandchildren and my family are there. We were coming back from exploring an energon source. That's why there's so many of us. It takes that many to work out the sites when we find them, to do the digging and exploring necessary. Please … you must help us."
Prime squeezed her shoulder gently. "We are here to do that, Amma. Right now, we have to rescue this group and get you to safety. We want you to tell us everything you can about your settlements, the way things are on your worlds and all that you might know about your oppressors. The more we know, the faster and better we can rescue them."
Everyone nodded, then Raptor pulled the group leaders aside to talk to them for details. Ironhide walked to the window with Prime. "This is fragged. What sort of creatures? Do you suppose its the acid monsters?"
"I do not know, Ironhide, but whatever it is, we have to take them down," Prime said with resolution. He glanced at Raptor and the others, then looked outside at the ships, many of them showing battle scars and other failures. "No one is left behind."
-0-On a second ship checking over the passengers
Ratchet tagged the last civilian in the main room, then rose to walk onward. This was a mixed ship of local security officers, mining and energon scientists and engineers along with worker bees. They, apparently, were a peaceful group of many different castes who had worked out long ago how they would manage. They had found energon deposits and were going to bring in bigger ships that had equipment when they were informed they couldn't come home. Everyone had left their work sites to gather together before they were attacked and driven away. The only direction left was toward the message of Prime and Starscream across an empty sector of space. It was terrifying and deeply debilitating.
This particular ship had become a gathering place, that is, a ship that had accumulated those whose own vessels were unable to continue. There were mechs here that were big, unknown and disturbing in their energy auras. Ratchet had called for backup with Springer, Drift, Hercy, Kup along with Smokey, and Lon showing up. They gathered in the corridor leading forward to discuss what to do.
Partition stood beside Ratchet listening raptly. It was going to get hot really soon.
-0-TBC 8-3-17 edited 8-9-17