The Diego Diaries: Playah (dd6 216)
-0-Out there
They were called, the nine kids, and they appeared on the deck of Clipper to see a whirl of activity. Walking together to where Metroplex and Typhoon stood together, the big mechs watched them approach. "What's happening, Appa?" Quasar asked as the others gathered around.
"We have intruders coming and Prime wants your ammas to deploy to the Tau Ceti system to take up station. Some slaggers want to hook up with Razorclaw and they're too close for comfort to the Camians," Ty said.
The kids looked solemn. "Tell us how we may serve, Appa. We are yours to command," Quasar said as the others bowed their helms with him.
Ty grinned. "You will keep the faith here and go to school. You'll live your life here and I will lead you. I'll stay here with all of you. We intend to be on duty but not you kids. I want all of you to check in with Ammas, then head back to school. We just wanted you to know what's going on."
"Will there be fighting, Appa?" Santee asked. "We will come and help you."
"If there is need, you will be summoned. However, it cannot be counted upon, infants, because you're the front line of defense against the enemy here," Ty said. They chatted a while, hugs were given and nine slightly disappointed tall youngling mechs derezzed to go to Clipper and Dangerous before heading back to school.
-0-Ratchet
He finished up his work as swiftly as possible, then plugged in the deployment plan for Group Alpha and standby for Group Beta. If there was a standout of armed forces against threat, he'd be ready and so would the entire corp that would deploy with him to the front. Right now, it was wait time for any intel the flights could bring back.
He finished his work, then walked to the window. Down below, the city whirled and ships came and went. Across the other side of the hallway, his tower could be seen. Here, he had a sliver of a view of the airfield and that part of town all the way to the prison, but a clear shot of Aerie Hill, the Resort, the Monastery, and the Mons beyond. It was beautiful and sunny outside but very cold. It was, in short, perfect.
:Ironhide:
:What?:
:Where are you?:
:Setting up munitions at the armory. Are you in the office?:
:I am. That was bold of Raptor and Hardie to include Keystock and Cargo in the meeting: Ratchet said with a grin. :I wish you could see how uptight Lucien is. I told him he had to deploy with us when we stand out:
:That would teach him. All he has to do is give up the system and adopt a normal life and he'd be off the hook. I doubt that he will: Ironhide grinned. :Serves him right. Old men start wars and young people die in them. He should see what he's done:
:What's supper looking like? I was messaged that the kids went to the DMZ to see off Clipper and Dangerous: Ratchet checked the time.
:I hope to be home for it. I'm training new special operation supervisors for here and Aerie Hill. I think I'm going to turn over requisitioning and deployment to them for the pre-mission run up and check it out tomorrow. How about take-out, in:
:Sounds like a plan. I'll get it going. Ratchet out: The energy got soft again, the energy that always existed between them. He glanced around, noted that everything thus far was good to go so he go'ed. Walking out his door, he paused beside the desk with Lee-Lee. "I'm going now but I'm on call all night. Call me, infant, then go home yourself."
Lee-Lee grinned. "No problem. Are you going out with the fleet? There's rumors galore."
"I'm essential equipment, infant. It's a given," Ratchet said with a grin. He swished out to the hallway, then headed for the elevator. As he did, he ordered food to be delivered at 1800 hours on the TMC. By then, everyone would be home from clubs and other activities and raring to eat. He disappeared into the pedestrian traffic and headed for The Fortress. He would send his order to The Catering Place and it would be waiting for them just as they got home later.
Life was a miracle sometimes.
-0-Out there at the DMZ
The sirens sounded, letting everyone know that it was time to haul aft. They were gathering in their flight crews and when the last one re-entered, the hangar deck doors slid shut. They had transformed while the Seekers waited nearby in space marveling at the massive stations as they shifted back to ship mode. Their guns bristled and their long lines were heavy with menace. Nearly 12 miles long, Typhoon was the biggest among the three adults that lived here but Clipper and Dangerous were over ten miles and carried the full weight, depth and breadth of a mature vessel. The children were big and long but not filled out. These three ships were the Doom Made Real.
"Ty, we're ready to go," Clipper said as he stood by the navigator who was his non-sentient symbiont. "Danny signals the same."
"Very well," Ty said as he sat at the command table with others in pretender format. Tennyson, Paribolus, Metroplex, Caminus, Metrotitan, Acutus from off world, and Fort Max were with them, ready to help if needed when they arrived. Their end point near Caminus was already chosen and would place them squarely on the grid with that colonial outpost. It would also put them squarely on the sensors of the unknowns coming this way but it was what they wanted. "Take us out."
Clipper linked in to the pilot by jacking into his shoulder. "Prepare to engage transport," he said. His voice echoed all over the ship with a metallic tang. "Prepare to transport on my mark."
The voice of Dangerous could be heard as well as he began to do the same. His massive figure was some far distance over in the darkness but his lights made him visible to their specialist optics. He began to glow as brightly as Clipper, then it was too much to look at even for the bots as the ships got ready to bridge. The light intensified, then there was a gentle sense of movement. It seemed like a long time but it wasn't before the light began to fade. When it did, they were elsewhere.
The screens compensated for the brightness, then adjusted as it faded. They were twelve light years from Mars and Earth, just a hop and skip even by normal ship travel with their level of technology. It was a formerly four, now seven planetary system and all around them rocks, dust, gas, and ice particles flew. There was an enormous amount of debris but it was getting noticeably better. Of the four original planets that orbited a star only 85% as bright as the sun were two gas giants transported by Sciences to help the other newcomer, the planet of Caminus adjust to its new home without being pulverized.
Outside the windows, the constant stream of debris that whirled past on trajectory with each of the two newly placed gas planets, Savior 1 and Savior 2, meant less potential collisions with an occupied planet. As it was, the night time displays of meteors and other space junk was interesting to the locals. Nothing had struck them in a way that was harmful so far. The battering rams were doing their jobs.
"Ty to Dangerous. Link in with me and Clipper," Ty said as the ships slowed on their way to their permanent temporary places of occupation.
"Done, Ty," Dangerous said. "Smooth transition. I'm at my coordinates. Will deploy my satellites and begin to deep space scan."
"Link up with me, Danny," Clipper said as he pulled his plug at flight and walked to the sensor station. He jacked in and had that far away look that all bots had when they were analyzing something complex. "I have them."
"Affirmative," Dangerous said. "I have them on my sensors. Just on the edge. They don't know we're here yet."
"Very well. Commence the work up of the local area out 950 light years. We need to send a better map back to Prime," Ty said as he walked to the table to join the others. They would sit and watch, adding the odd comment or suggestion as the beginnings of knowledge began to commence.
-0-Watch Station #4
"What do you feel about not going out with the group?" Drift asked as they walked out to the street again. They were going through the data collected by this and that station regarding a rumor about drugs again. They were just rumors yet but anything could happen and they wanted the heads up.
"I think we're no longer on the Dean's List. I think we've been dropped in favor of younger models," Springer said with a grin. They walked to their horses, mounted up, then began to walk down the sidewalk to head out of town to another station in the Seven Cities-North. "You?"
"A bit," Drift said as they moved to the sidewalk that bordered the highway out of town. "Given that we're masters at our craft, it would seem that they'd want to see us at work."
Springer snickered. "Yeah. By the way, did you see the newer cartoon? Robots In Disguise? It's been on a while but I haven't seen much of it. That's my problem. I'm too selfless and dedicated."
"I noticed that about you," Drift said with a grin. "I saw it. I have to tell you, its a really cute cartoon. Bee makes me laugh, those little mini-cons … I really like them. Even if the depiction of me is sort of off, I do like it. Those little mini-cons make my character likable."
"I like them," Springer said. "First mini-cons I've seen that I don't want to punch."
Drift grinned. "There is that." He looked at Springer. "I think we're going to have to fight one or the other of these slaggers before this is over. I just hope a migration isn't needing us too soon."
"You and me both," Springer said as they both began to pick up speed the closer they got to the limits of Autobot City. Soon, they would gallop away toward the Terra Hub and their next stop for intel. A cop's work never ended.
-0-Home
He sauntered in, then glanced around. No one was there. Walking out, he made it to his genitor's apartment before finding anyone. All of the kids were watching cartoons in the laps of their ammas and appas as the big kids sprawled on couches to dispense their advice about the various cars racing on the monitor. Squeeing commenced, then he joined them. "This is nice," he said as he sat rather tightly between Saber and Santee. "Did you get to see your ammas before they left?"
"We did, Ada. Appa told us they'd be home as best they could. Uncle Max is going to stay with us at the house," Saber said as the others nodded. "We wanted to go with them but they said no."
"Your appa and ammas are right. If this is a shooting war, only veterans allowed," Ratchet said.
"I'd like to see Caminus now that its moved," Genesis said. "That would be amazing."
"We'll see," Ratchet replied. "Dinner is at our house. Ada? Will you and the others come over or do you have a social event to attend?"
"Not tonight, Sonny," Docker said. "If any of our things conflict with helping with the babies, we're going to stay with them. They need continuity, son."
Ratchet smirked. "I'll have them in day care part of the time. You older infants can help when you can but I don't want anyone modifying their stuff to do this. These infants are troopers. AMIRITE!?" Ratchet asked the little ones with a big smile on his face.
"ADA GOOD SHE!" Orion said as he slid to the ground. He walked to the middle of the room, then pointed to Ratchet with his fat baby digit. "SHE MY SHE! SHE GOOD! My ada good."
Ratchet laughed, picked him up, kissed him senseless, then put him back on his peds. "You ready to eat, spud?" he asked.
Orion smiled. "I, ORION, DOING THE THING! I DOOM THIS!"
Santee laughed loudly. "Get you, Doom Bringer. You've been watching Atar too much." He looked at Ratchet. "Where is he?"
"He's coming. Right now, let's get things going." Ratchet stood, then grabbed Orion. Gathering up, they walked down the hallway to the big apartment where boxes of food sat outside the door. They picked them up and walked inside. By the time they sorted it out, Ironhide with Halo would walk in. "NOW HEAR THIS! I AM IRONHIDE AND I'M HUNGRY! GRUB! NOW!"
He would be pelted with carrot sticks.
Meanwhile, out there …
Ships moved through the night of space heading for the conference point. They had been talking together for a while before discovering the secret that couldn't be hidden from those who had a vested interest in knowing. This system had the makings of a lot of easy-to-reach energon. Following the trail like bees heading for nectar, the ship groups flew onward toward a small broken planetoid to do something they usually didn't do. They were going to talk peaceably together.
TBC 12-12-17 edited 1-10-18