The Diego Diaries: New Playah (dd6 214)
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire
Smokescreen sat at communications doing his duty. Tonight, he would join Dev for a poker tournament in the Central Labor Hall's Veteran's Hall. They were going to slay, he thought, then a communication came through from Caminus. He tapped the link. "Ops Center, Autobot City."
"This is the Mistress of Flame," a beautiful femme said when her image appeared on the screen overhead. "I must talk to Optimus Prime. It's important."
"I'll page him, Mistress," Smokescreen said as he commed the Prime's office.
"Prime here."
"Optimus … the Mistress of Flame has asked to speak to you," Smokescreen said.
"Please transfer the call to my office, Smokescreen," Optimus said.
"I'm transferring you now, Mistress," Smokescreen said.
Optimus Prime waited in his office with Prowl and Magnus. They were going over the latest local and Cybertronian business as well as preparing the agenda for the meeting in two orns. The monitor overhead came into being, then the Mistress of Flame appeared. She bowed her helm, then looked at him. "Greetings, Lord Optimus. I am speaking to you from Caminus."
"I have reports from Caminus that all is well with the transfer, Mistress. The two gas giants are making a big difference in the condition of your system," Optimus said.
"They are," she replied. "They've encouraged a good 15% of the debris in the system to draw to them. The impacts are rather spectacular but not of any consequence to bring worry. That's being raised among us through soundings over the Deep Space Array recently installed here. We've gotten a lot of hits from the device which we amplified through the System Amplifier Array near the alien trade routes. We've picked up Decepticon signals, a lot of them coming from several different directions heading toward one."
Prime nodded as Prowl rose and left the room. "I understand. Have you sent us the data?"
"It's on its way, Lord Optimus. We've studied it and it would appear that a lot of the big groups that had been stationed past Junk, even past the Benzuli are coming this way," she said. "We've picked up radio traffic between ships and that of Razorclaw's redoubt."
Prime nodded as Magnus sat back in his chair. "This would be a reasonable expectation, Lady. We will be seeking a forward base your way and build an interdiction team to be placed there should anything come your direction. Until we see the data, we can not tell you more than that. It was going to be part of our planning anyway given that we have to find a good home for Cybertron and the local system planets. There are other places that require transfer as well."
Prowl walked back in with a datapad filled with information. He sat and worked through it, then glanced at Optimus. "There are several big groups that appear to be going to a place of meeting. Some of them come from the Rim, some from past the Benzuli and a few from the outer edges of the empire that border the Barren." Prowl frowned. "They appear to be contacting Razorclaw as well."
Prime nodded. "Then we have to get more information. We need to know where they are precisely and whatever we can about their forces and numbers."
She nodded. "We will continue to monitor the situation. Right now, we're helpless to put forward forces to defend Caminus."
"That will be taken care of, Mistress. I will be back in touch with you once we find out what the threat is and then plan a defense. Right now, we need more information. Please send what you discover to us directly. We will be sending out data seekers to augment that." Prime glanced at Prowl. "We need to call a meeting of the senior Autobots right now." He looked at the Mistress. "We will be calling upon you shortly, Mistress."
She nodded, then bowed her helm. "Thank you, Lord Optimus. Call upon us. We will do what we can." The screen changed back to the logo of the Primes. It was silent a moment, then Prime glanced at Prowl. "I would like Typhoon, Dangerous and Clipper to come to the meeting as well as Metroplex and Fortress Maximus."
Prowl nodded and put out the call.
-0-Within moments
They gathered in the big conference room, the grounders and fliers of the colony and Cybertron. Called in from Cybertron, trailing their sullen charges behind them, Ironhide's family arrived together. Following them, trailing Lucien as his assistant, Ratchet entered as well. Sitting by the wall looking put out, Keystock and Cargo glanced up at Lucien with surprise. He took a seat by them, the three watching as the military elite of the Empire of the Primes gathered.
Springer and Drift stood with Rainmaker who was here with the Seeker Command. They were discussing something amusing but it was hard to tell given the conversations among those filtering in. Barron was there along with Magnus, the Autobot femme unit that was famous even among the Diaspora, a lot of soldiers, some of which they knew and most they didn't, many of the metro-titans including the leadership, the elder soldiers and more, all of them walking in to sit.
Raptor turned to the three against the wall. "You will sit here and listen. You will be on your oath to keep what you hear to yourself. If you break that oath then I will ask the Former Decepticon Association to take you into the desert and put you through a gauntlet. Do you understand?" he asked as behind him looking grim, his father, son and grandson watched.
Lucien glanced at Cargo and Keystock, then nodded. "Of course."
Raptor looked at the other two. They nodded. "You get no warnings and there will no appeals or recourse if you break your word," Raptor said as he turned to the table and pulled a chair. More entered, then the door closed. Prowl who was having a conversation with Prime off line turned to the group. He nodded to Devcon who was sitting next to Smokescreen to turn on the monitor and put through the other participants. The Mistress of Flame appeared and so did Soundwave from Cybertron.
It shocked Lucien and the two youngsters to see him, the deeply hated face of the enemy but they said nothing.
"We have news from the Mistress of Flame from Caminus that there is a big group of Decepticons filtering into the local area from different reaches of the Empire still under Decepticon control. If you would tell us what you have determined, Mistress, that would be helpful."
She nodded, the bowed to Prime. "We have the benefit and responsibility of maintaining the sensor output of the Deep Space Array newly installed since Caminus was transferred to this system around Tau Ceti. It reaches far into the unexplored and still Decepticon-controlled areas of the local group and many sectors beyond that could mean trouble. We've had soundings of several groups converging on a point that we amplified through the System Amplifier Array near the ancient alien trade routes. They appear to be coming from different areas, past Junk, past the Benzuli, the Rim, the edges that are unmapped by our side along the Bootes constellation which by the way might be home to the Tall Whites.
"The point of convergence as calculated by everyone's current direction of travel is a small system with a number of hard rocky planets. They seem to be heading that way but they could change direction," Spiria said. She looked as grim as she did when she had to find help to save Caminus.
"You mentioned that they've exchanged communications with Razorclaw," Prowl said.
She nodded. "We have evidence of transmissions between the two different groups but nothing definitive. It could be that they're meeting up to decide what to do because Cybertron has fallen to Lord Optimus or they don't know anything yet. It could be that they're sending feelers out to make alliances or not. We don't know enough to do more than speculate."
Prime nodded. "We need more information. We need to know where they are going. Is there going to be a meet up between them? Will they make alliances together then? Will they go to Razorclaw? What do they bring to the table? What sort of resources do they have alone or together? I would like to know who they are, the leadership. Are they regular Decepticon army or are they something even worse?"
It was silent. Then Starscream leaned forward. "We need to have information but we don't want to tip off the groups that we're as powerful as we are or that we draw them into something we don't want to have. They're going to be halfway between Cybertron and Mars if the pathway shown on the screen is going to hold. They could break either way and Cybertron is in no condition to have a fight on their servos."
"We do have over 1,800 metro-formers on world if the worst possible scenario plays out, but it would be catastrophic if they have to leave or even transform to fight," Rainmaker said. "What I want to know definitively is simple. Are there Seekers among them? If so, then we need to peel them off. Maybe they don't know about us. Maybe they don't know clearly about us. There could be families in the group that might be persuaded to defect. We have no clear information but I'd be surprised if there weren't Seekers in the group."
Starscream nodded. "And I, Leader," he said. "We need to send flights that are swift and capable of deep space scanning. Perhaps a ship with tech that can also do the same. We can make a swift scan, then leave. We can operate on Decepticon frequencies so that they remain in the dark about us and what we represent. The less they know, the better it is for us."
Prime nodded. "I agree," he said. "I will leave that to your expert hands. If you require a shuttle with deep space capabilities, Wheeljack and Perceptor can manage that aspect. We would need a strong security element. I want that to operate on Decepticon frequencies and if there is any visual contact, then limit it to one or two mechs as spokesmen for the group. They will require Decepticon camouflage both for the ships and for those who would speak."
"We can do that, Prime. We can fly security for the Seekers, a number of shuttles with big firepower," Hercy said as Kup nodded.
"I don't like the idea of Decepticon drag but I'm game," Kup said.
Laughter greeted that, then they turned back to Prime. "Typhoon, I would like a dreadnought reassigned to Caminus," Optimus said. "Maybe even two. I will leave that up to you, Metroplex and Fortress Maximus to decide upon. Perhaps one will suffice. I want a major force of firepower on site in case they decide to explore our way. We do not need to hide your faction, Typhoon, because you are there to explicitly protect Caminus. Everyone already knows that Caminus is allied with the Autobots."
Ty nodded. "We can work that out and head out immediately. Command us, Prime," he said as the others nodded.
"Thank you," Prime said. "Right now, we need to be ready for anything. I do not have enough information to decide beyond probing them and reinforcing Caminus. Once we know more, we can act. I want Cybertron on a level 2 alert, Soundwave. I want the local area to be ready to do what is needed if the time comes. Turn the local area arrays to cover a 180 degree radius of space from the local group to Caminus. That will alert us to the prospect of any of these individuals heading toward Cybertron. If that happens, we will bring the hurt."
Soundwave nodded. "It will be done, Prime," he said with a grim expression. He was nothing if not a home boy.
Cyclonus who was watching him with a dark expression said nothing. If he had a chance, he would carve Soundwave into confetti. He looked at Prime. "I would like to go with the group, Prime. I would like to listen in on the communications. I might know who some of them are if I hear them. I spent a lot of time in the Bootes and out on the edges of the Benzuli."
"Granted," Prime said with a nod. "We need to build a picture ultra fast. Right now, I want to speak to Razorclaw."
Smokescreen turned to the console behind him and input data. He waited, then turned to Prime. "The message is sent," he said. They sat a moment waiting silently, then a signal was returned. Smokescreen glanced at Prime. "Do you want audio only or do you want this on screen?"
"On screen," Prime said.
Razorclaw's face appeared on the monitor, a face with intelligence and ruthlessness, one who noted everyone in the room. He looked at Prime. "You rang?" he asked.
"I would like information, Razorclaw. There are soundings of ships coming this way. I also have confirmation that they have contacted you and you have replied. Tell me now," Prime said coldly.
"I get a lot of messages, Prime. I receive them and I answer them. Mostly, they're groups passing through," Razorclaw said. "They don't like that Cybertron has fallen to you but they accept it, mostly, and move on."
"Move on to you," Ironhide said darkly. "Tell me where I'm wrong."
Razorclaw glanced at Ironhide. "I wouldn't say no if they come."
"You should," Prime said. "I would consider it a personal insult if you did otherwise. I am not going to allow anymore dangerous mechs into this system. It would not take much to break you into confetti, Razorclaw, and it would do you a lot of good to remember that."
"Perhaps, Prime, but a lot of others would get hurt, too," Razorclaw replied. "I have no interest in disturbing the balance of power between us. I have my domain and you have yours. When others want to play, I can hardly be blamed for that."
"If they cross into my domain, I will," Prime said. "Prime out." The screen went back to the logos. It was silent a moment. "He would take them in a minute. I want him monitored. We know he has some bridge tech. I want to know if he has anything big enough to get him to a meet up spot out by Tau Ceti or if he's going to have to go a part of the distance by ship first. I want information. Until then, we wait. Wait and plan."
The others nodded. The conversation continued, then the group broke up to go and put into motion their part of the operation. Rising, then following Ratchet and Raptor out of the room, Cargo, Keystock and Lucien waited quietly in the rec room as the others filtered out. Blackjack, Alor and Hardie paused beside Ironhide and Ratchet. "Well, I think I've been given command of the group," Hardie said. He glanced at Cargo. "Lucky you. You just might see action yet."
Cargo glanced at Hard Drive with alarm but didn't say anything. Keystock looked tense and Lucien disquieted. Raptor turned to the three. "You three have never seen the end result of your slag. Now you will. I'll make sure that you're on a ship going out. All you have to do is sit and watch what happens. It's one thing to command a war into being and another to be there fighting it. Maybe you need to see what happens when an arm chair general decides to kill other people's soldiers." He glanced at his father. "I have to go to Cybertron but I'll be back in three joors. Will the planning be held in the sub ops center?"
Hardie nodded. "It will. Meet us there."
Raptor nodded, then glanced at Keystock. "Shake a leg, infant. We have things to do." With that, he walked onward to the bridge room with a shaken but stoic Keystock following.
The others broke up with Ratchet walking to the Medical Center with a silent Lucien. Ratchet glanced at him. "Nothing? No comments? No greater wisdom of the high caste variety? Maybe you can tell me what a piss poor slagger Prime is again?" Ratchet asked as they crossed the street heading for uptown.
Lucien had nothing to say.
-0-TBC 12-10-17 edited 1-10-18
NOTE:
Bootes Constellation: Huge constellation, the plowman. There are little diacritical marks over the oh's, two dots and each oh is pronounced. Bou-outis, which emphasis on the last syllable. It is a strange part of space with almost no galaxies in it. It's an empty or nearly empty area of space.