The Diego Diaries: 20 Questions (dd6 100)
Well, my darlings, we've reached 100 for the sixth time. :D:D:D And I don't think we're even halfway through this thing. :D:D:D HUGS to one and all
-0-There
He staggered into the room shoved by rough hands, hands backed with real power. He filed that into his sketchy outline of who and what this could be. The power felt equal to them but whether it was metallic or organically formatted, he had no clear idea.
Yet.
The scientist who was a doctor who was a wango-tango partner to a chaos bringer and the ada of about a battalion of infants big and small had exerted itself, coming to the fore to organize information for further use against this, the unknown. He waited for the flash of light and hard yank of his head cover and it came. He flashed on his optics at half power, then turned toward retreating footsteps only to find a door closing shut. It was overly bright so he compensated. He was a medical mechanism and had features that even other doctors didn't have. He could compensate for just about anything that was loud, messy, bright or fragged in the real world. That no one really knew that was a good thing. Running across a battle field to pick up the wounded with flashes going off all around him had forced him to modify his optical range. He would get them next time, he thought, as he stood facing the door. "What now, fraggers?"
A soft voice chuckled, a dry yet amused sound. "You don't seem to be afraid, Doctor."
"No," Ratchet said. "I've been through a lot of fragged things in my day. Nothing about this makes it special. What now?"
"I want to know more about Prime and his forces," the voice said.
"Is that so?" Ratchet replied. "I suppose you understand that I'm programmed to give you nothing. I'm also programmed to go down swinging. But I'll tell you what … let's play 20 questions. You ask me one, then I ask you one. We tell the truth. Both sides get something. No one goes home crying to their mama. What about it? You got the bearings?"
The voice spoke, its tone suffused with amusement. "You're a funny individual. Alright. What about Prime's army and capabilities?"
"Do you have deep space sensor abilities? I'd aim them the way I came and find out. We came locked and loaded. Something tells me that Prime only augmented his forces with this move on your part."
The voice mused on that, then spoke again. "Your turn."
"What happened to Prime's nephew? You don't want to provoke an Iacon sanction. I just finished one against a slagger. Just so you know, any Iaconian you run into is obliged to take you apart. That's how it goes with the oath. Our people are scattered like seeds in the wind. You will bump into them and then you will regret it. I guarantee it."
"We took him to a planetoid and left him there for Prime. He has his nephew back. Consider it a gift from us. My turn. Tell me about your colony."
Ratchet considered the comment for a moment, then made a few decisions. "Our colony is a small military base, mostly soldiers and others who support the fighting. Its where we keep our strike forces and big frames. We used to take refugees there but they're now funneled to Cybertron. It was easier to corral the civilians on a world that we could defend. The colony that the military operates from is highly defended but limited in scope when it comes to amenities."
"How is it I have heard that its a paradise?" the voice asked.
Ratchet laughed a moment, then grinned. "If you say so. Now it's my turn. Prove to me that Prime's nephew is safely back with the fleet."
It was silent a moment, then a holographic image appeared on the wall next to him. He turned to it to watch a youngling mech lying on the ground inside a shelter. It was Partition lying without movement, then a scene cut to ships coming in, Wrecker battle shuttles and Seekers was shown. The group lifted the shelter, helped Partition up and he moved with them to safety. The ships lifted off and disappeared. The image blinked off.
"My turn." There was a pause a moment. "Tell me about Prime's command staff."
Ratchet considered that. "He has the most ruthless and dangerous mechs ever. Ultra Magnus who enforced the Tyrest Treaties about our tech getting into non-Cybertronian hands is one. Ask around about him. He likes to kill. The Autobot femmes. They're on the staff. They lasted nine million years on Cybertron killing Decepticons before we took the planet without a shot."
"How did you manage that?" the voice asked.
"We told them we would destroy the planet if they didn't surrender. Soundwave has no guts. He saved his own aft surrendering. Not that we didn't mind. We were tired of Megatron holding it. It's ours now and all the empire. We're going to expand it again when we finish rebuilding, then kick the slag out of anyone who crosses us. That's why the civilians are back there now, so we can organize things better."
"Prime has a reputation of being a weak and soft mannered mech. What if I say I don't believe you?"
"I'd say that's two questions." Ratchet slouched slightly as a cold hard smirk formed on his face. "You don't play by the rules. What makes you think we do?"
"Ask your question then," the voice asked with amusement.
"What makes you think that the Autobots are the good guys anymore? What makes you think that we held to values that don't seem to matter anymore? Consider a nine million year war against a maniac. What makes you think that we didn't learn the error of our ways?" Ratchet asked as he played a tactic.
"I have heard about the Matrix. I have heard that it holds you to a certain standard of conduct no matter what you might personally believe."
"What makes you think that the Prime carries it with him all the time?" Ratchet asked. "I still have another question, just so you know."
A genuine laugh was heard. "You and I might not be so far apart after all."
Ratchet shrugged. "You act like I might care. I've been at war for nine million years. Things change in all that time and murder. I'm not interested in your thoughts and opinions."
"Maybe," the voice said. "But I'm interested in yours."
With that, the light flashed on and Ratchet was overcome once more.
-0-Gathered around the command table
The big mechanisms listened to Prime's plan as he began to unfold it. Seekers were already heading out for their part led by Red Wing and Cloudburst, commanded overall by Starscream and advised by Rainmaker. The shuttle and ship commanders of the armada were here along with leaders among the ground troops that were waiting on the ships for call up. About forty-seven big bots were there offering advice, working through the plan as it stood as they assessed and re-assessed the situation.
The humans sat in their box watching with a solemn air of dread and tension. Harris was caught up as well, the entire unfolding panorama like some astonishing movie in which he was the camera recording the action. It was the most real thing he had ever seen before and some part of him was deeply aware of the privilege of his position here.
"We need to have them surrounded to cut down their options. When that happens, if it can happen, then we will call them again to attend to a resolution if one is possible without battle," Prime said. "I want the big frames to move onto station now and when the rest of the battleships arrive, we will array them according to the plan of battle."
"The beta force is lifting off now," Prowl said as he glanced at his datapad. "They will be here in seconds and on station in minutes."
"Very well," Prime said. "Knowing Ratchet after all these vorns, I believe he will be seeking and refining information. If he can get it to us he will. I have full confidence in him to manage at his end. What concerns me even more are the civilians caught in the middle. We need to know who and what this is."
"How about we probe them," Springer said. "Notice this." He pointed on the data map to a series of big ice sprays that were halfway to the first settlement. Among them would be chunks of rock and aggregate, the odd asteroid and perhaps a comet or two. At least, the rocky and gassy tail of one anyway. "How about we go there and set down. Perhaps we can taunt them. When they send someone, if they do, we have intel. The worst that can happen is they ignore us."
"Or send something with a giant gun that kills you," Prowl said.
Both mechs smirked at the other.
"I want to test their mettle. I do not want them to retaliate on the civilians or Ratchet. Go and try this. If it goes south, pull out," Prime said. "Use your discretion, Springer."
"He has some?" Raptor asked with a slight grin.
A very grim, very concerned Ironhide stood beside him. He turned to Springer. "Be smart, be tactical."
Springer nodded with a solemn expression. "I will, Atar. Don't worry." He glanced at the others. "Let's go. Maybe we can get something out of this besides a broken optic."
"I'm going to make the slaggers pay if they get close enough," Drift said as he squeezed Ironhide's arm. Half the group followed them off the deck. The other half watched them go. It would continue to be tense among them.
-0-Around the group
Big ships moved onward but for Salton Sea, Phobos and Moonbase. They stayed together, facing the enemy with escort. They would anchor the battle plan. Tennyson, Typhoon and Dangerous would be three prongs of the pincer that would surround the enemy with support from more battleships and cruisers than ever seen since the war. The Cybertronian forces were dispersed through the lines, taking station in the line of travel as they had when the group appeared through the bridges. They had been blended seamlessly into the battle group and now they were prepared to assist.
Soundwave had come with them along with Lebus and Shackle. He had stood silently on the deck during initial planning and now sat on a chair near the front view port along with many others who were waiting for something to happen. Beyond him, a big mech had detached the human's safety box to take them to an area where they would be placed to use 'facilities'. They disappeared down the corridor nearby.
Riding in the box, the humans watched as they were carried along a side corridor that led back into the ship. It seemed to go on for miles. When they reached a place where there was a square slot, the mech raised the box and set it there, pressing it forward until it clicked. A light was red on the wall next to it, then it turned green. He grinned. "This is a safety space created for you. When the door to your box turns green go inside. There's a habitat for you. When you want to come back, press the button on the panel inside by the door that says, 'return'. Okay?" he asked.
:Yes: Lennox said. :Thank you:
The big mech nodded, then walked back the way he came. As he did, mechs and a femme now and again walked past them going both ways, probably doing jobs for the ship. Lennox watched them a moment, then looked at the door light. It was green. He walked to the hatch which opened automatically. Stepping inside, he was in a big room that stretched to the windows nearby. Looking around, he saw that it was a room built into a shelf that was part of another space. Beyond their windows on both sides of the habitat were panels of machines running and a lot of shelves filled with what looked like books and training manuals. They had modified a cupboard or closet as a habitat, one set about fifteen feet off the ground that stretched from the corridor wall to the outside windows across the room. Now Lennox knew what if felt like to be a puppy or kitten in a Petco or PetSmart store window.
He saw the all clear light in his suit, then snapped his helmet off. The others did as well, then entered to find couches, a restroom, food in a protective case and things to drink. He walked to the window to look out. The view from here was of Moonbase floating nearby and a number of smaller vessels with Seekers sitting on them. It was a phenomenal sight. "Eat up and take a piss. I want to be back at the command center as soon as possible. Until they get Ratchet back, this is going to be a shit storm."
Harris watched as the group walked to the restrooms or the refreshment tables. He walked to one and poured a cup of coffee. It was hot and delicious. "What do you think will happen? Will there be a fight?"
"Hard to tell," Epps said as he piled sandwiches and fruit on a plate. "Prime will do what he does. Ratchet will help him from the other side. These fuckers are going to be sorry they were born. Tennyson, Typhoon and Dangerous are here. They're in ship mode. Did you ever see them in ship mode?" Epps asked as he looked at Harris.
"I heard they were big. Dreadnoughts, right?" Harris asked.
Epps nodded. "The kids, the three dread kids are ten miles long. I never did ask the adults how long they were." He turned back to the table to retrieve more food, then walked to a couch to eat.
Harris would stare out the window a moment before doing the same. He would eat as silently as the grim soldiers around him.
-0-Ratchet
He sat in the dark refining the information he had gleaned from the slaggers. Twenty questions had yielded little for both sides beyond being an interesting intellectual bout of fisticuffs. They learned nothing from Ratchet that would be easily disproven. All of it was carefully crafted to build for Prime another persona, one that might help him deal with this and save the settlements. But Ratchet was also aware of something that the other hadn't noticed during the amusing but curt exchanges. Someone had made a slip. He grinned slightly as he considered the slip, turning it over and over in his mind like a jewel, marveling at it like it was latinum. It was better. Sitting back with a smirk, he filed it carefully away. A trifle for the other side it might have seemed, unnoticed when spoken but it was a major piece of the puzzle for Ratchet.
He had started to figure out who it was that held him.
-0-TBC 8-19-17 edited 8-23-17