The Diego Diaries: FOOTBALL! (dd6 321)
NOTE: I took forever to design the playing field on a big set of papers taped together and find all the team members plus adding the two. There are 186 players in this game now and that doesn't count the humans. LOL! :D Here we go …
-0-On the way
They were gathering, the giant mechs and the tiny humans who had their own contributions. Getting their assignments when signing in, the humans found their fort over on the other side of the Mountains of Death, Fort Quack as it was listed on the chart that Vinn held. He grinned. "I got a lot of messages from Ratchet. Apparently, Orion liked that fort when they'd walk home and he named it."
:Sounds like a winner: Lennox said as he laughed. Turning to the usual crowd of scientists, Resort femmes, soldier femmes, N.E.S.T. soldiers, three new players from Earth 1, Sam Witwicky, Warren Roberts, Glenn Morshower and wife, Barbara, John Fulton and Judy, Andrew and Lilly Boles-Settle, and of all individuals, Olivia Bowers and Joe, he grinned. :Fort Quack it is:
No one disagreed.
Oh and yes, Joe Bowers had taken a flight of fancy.
For the first time ever.
It was at that moment that Charlotte Mearing and Seymour Simmons arrived with their oversize botlets following, both loaded to the gunnels with guns including one on the top of Seymour's doppelganger's head ala Devcon. They would be free range.
So would the following …
Jazz, Mirage and Bee. Magnus, Jetta, Mack, Springer and Drift along with Hauser had said they would help defend Fort Teal if needed but they were going to free range. A botlet lasted longer on the run than cooped up in a box no matter how many guns it had facing out. They would be joined by Charlotte and Seymour. It would be good and comical at the same time.
Fort Teal would be the last known residence of the femme team, Maelstrom, Lee-Lee who was Ratchet's assistant, Blackstone, Barron, Gee-Gee who was the awesome local warden, and Maxi of the Perky Moped and Flying Kick of Doom were helping defend Teal. Magnus, Jetta and Mack would range but defend.
Or so they implied.
Blue Team would once again be Ironhide, Raptor, Turbine, Delphi, Fireball who was loyal, Edict with Riff and Rad-R, Proteus, and Hard Drive given leadership due to advanced age and seniority.
('senility'-Raptor)
They had struck alliances with Red and Brown teams in the hope of lasting through the Dinobots because hope was eternal. There were others made but they were secret.
Maybe.
Yellow Team was once again the twins and Blue. They also included Devcon who struck an alliance with Blue team because he loved Raptor, Smokescreen, Smokey, Hot Rod even though it was tense (with unfulfilled lust and fury) and because Roddy was always a member, Sandstorm, and Bob who was a mascot. He was also a game piece having been crafted to EXACTING specs by Sunstreaker to represent the biggest, baddest full on mature adult Insecticon that had ever been seen in these parts with an Autobot tat and Bob in Gothic script over his huge chest plates. It looked like it could bite a hunk out of Prime's actual leg without a problem. Bob who only vaguely remembered why that bot looked so familiar lay down on his peds in groveling adoration bringing a tear to the optic of everyone around.
Brown Team had a lot of alliances even as they trumpeted to the heavens their independence. They were lead by Hercy and Kup and included but were not limited to Ramcharger, Alejate, his antique atar along with Elba his antique ada who finally got her own dollie, and three old geezers named Density, Corrosion and A1-23 or 'Toothy' as he was called. Whether it was because two-three sounded like it or if he ever had dentition in some dim past, one didn't know.
It was a mystery of the universe.
All of them utilized canes and knew how to use them. They were either members of The Immortals or their first born children.
"FRAG YOU ALL! WHY, I REMEMBER BACK IN THE ORN WHEN THE SHARKTICONS BLAH-BLAH-BLAH!"
Red Team or The Prime 1's were led by himself, Optimus Prime and included but were not limited to Prowl, Miler, Venture, Willa, Devcon who was free-ranging between Yellow and Red, Artur and his brother, Tabulation or 'Tab', Coln-2, Arrow and Paragon, Hauser, Faun, Holi, Wheeljack of all mechs, and Perceptor.
Apparently, Wheeljack hadn't been allowed to mine the field so he had to choose up. He chose the Matrix.
Now he gets religion.
Thank Primus.
Team Human or the 'Soon To Be Grease Spots' as the bots called them consisted of everyone who could manage to get a bot together on time. They were squeezed into the fort past the mountains where most of them were hoping no one would see them until the end where they would burst out, finish off those still stumbling around and take home not only more disembodied heads for their collection in the N.E.S.T. HQ and Family tower but the trophy itself.
That leaves two, count them, two mini-con villages. First, Mini-Con Central led by Leader-1 and consisting of him and twelve others including Mudflats and Skids.
Apparently, their time outs were completed to Lea's exacting standards this time.
Secondly, there was CAMP AWESOME! led by the one and only soon-to-be-a-father, Cliffjumper, undefeated and current reigning champion. Buzzie who hovered behind him with a few hundred of his family held a little pennant that said, "GO, CLIFFIE!" and was assisted by a wild aft party of co-conspirators which included Flim-Flam, Hopalong, Sipple, Pokey, and JimJam. They were, of course, regulars in Magistrate's Court and knew how to put on a good show.
This might actually be good.
A new entry, Team Oceania was created by Beachcomber and three friends from the climbing group that they created to venture into the back of the beyond on Mars. They had a small island built in the middle of the ocean, Pretty Ocean, that could only be reached by boat. It was HIGHLY fortified and isolated. There were three docks. One had row boats. Another had inflated rafts and the last was a submarine base.
This would be good.
Green Team was the big frames, all of them but a resolved Fireball and wavering titan and dread kids who wanted to be loyal to EVERYONE.
Purple Team were the Seekers. Starscream would continue to be tactician and Rainmaker would continue to be no use from guffawing madly. They would continue to die in numbers and many and sundry ways.
That left the scariest force both on and off the board, the Dinobots and their ever loyal and devoted team. No one would know the planning and drill that went into this given the growing IQ of the group through the science and effort of Ratchet and Perceptor. They would include the Monster Trucks, No-A of all individuals … monster trucks of a feather apparently flock together … a half dozen raptor dinosaurs, a tip of the Fedora to Earth and the Cretaceous, and an unknown horror in the hole in the ground.
Mommy.
Standing along the sidelines with their own life-sized robots, the kids who were going to play in the treasure hunt during half time … yes, they now had a half time … were watching with amazement and delight. A good dozen human kids and a good dozen Cybertronians were waiting for their turn. Among them was a tiny dog from the last game, Mr. Boo, saved from an early grave last time when Sunspot ran onto the game board during the battles and scared everyone to death.
New rule: Stay off the slagging game board.
They fogged in setting their little mechs in the designated spots for their team. The crowd was ranged around, the taller in the back and shorter in front. The Hu-An were there in numbers, laughing and waiting as expectantly as ever. They were a surprise last entry into the game. Half a dozen huge muscular and long horned Hu-An bots stood in their space waiting like the others. Expectation was high everywhere and when the Temple and medical botlets were placed, everyone turned to Vinn.
That he blasted his horn helped.
He laughed. "Welcome to the third game of the Autobot City Gamers Guild. Included here today will be the Youth Auxiliary." HUGE APPLAUSE AND MUCH BLUSHING OF EXCITED CHILDREN. "First of all, business and rules along with safety. Any more teams or individuals? We have Team Fuchsia which are the two mini-con groups ..." HUGE APPLAUSE AND MUCH LOUD LIP NOISE FROMM THE SLAGGERS! "... Brown, Red, Teal, Yellow, Blue, Green, and Purple teams ..." HUGE APPLAUSE AND MUCH CHEST BUMPING AND THUMPING AMONG THE PUNTERS! "... the free range contingent, the Dinobot team ..." MUCH BOOING AND LIP NOISES AMONG THE SOON TO BE RIPPED TO SHREDS TEAMS! "... and last but certainly not least, new this game, the redoubtable TEAM HU-AN AND TEAM OCEANIA!"
ENORMOUS APPLAUSE!
ENORMOUS RUNNING OF THE MOUTH!
SLAG FROM THE SOON TO-BE-EVEN-SHORTER TEAM TEAL!
Huge waving of a pennant by Buzzie that warmed the cockles of everyone's spark, he was that loved. MASS CHANTS FROM MINI-CON VILLAGES AND THE GIANT STANIX CONTINGENT!
"Now, safety. No child may enter the game. Ever. Tell me and I'll halt it if the reason is good. Saving your amma is not a good reason, infants."
Huge laughter and some disagreement from the ammas present including a smirking Devcon.
"If you can make it to the sideline, you can be repaired. The Game Place and Micro-Gaming Central have come to do the deeds if you can make it. They also made all the miniature bots. Give it up for both companies."
Everyone did. The windows all around rattled from the patter of the yelling.
"The Temple, Aid Station and Mausoleum are off limits for fighting. We would've had the Primal Basilica here to be holy ground and sanctuary but it was pretty beat up last time and the stained glass windows are taking a bit of work," Vinn said as the crowd vented their regrets. "We're going to allow you ten minutes on the TMC to get where you're going. No one has mined the field, thank you, Wheeljack and Perceptor," Vinn said to loud and ribald mockery, "so that isn't going to be a factor. Just know that some of the players are combiners, some have developed hidden abilities and some are just as mean as it gets."
HUGE laughter and agreement.
"Please note that I have helpers doing the refereeing here to help keep it real," Vinn said. "Please wave your flags, friends."
They did, delighted and self consciously pleased with the applause as they stood beside Vinn.
"Okay, no questions?" There were none that were relevant beyond Cliffie's ass getting trounced and prayers for the slaggers against the Dinobots. Vinn grinned. "We would like to call upon Lord Lauren, then Lord Optimus."
HUGE APPLAUSE.
Lauren grinned. "Don't blow up the Temple and may Primus go with you. Someone should."
HUGE, HUGE laughter as the priests walked around the game to put their little bots on the Temple plaza. Sela followed with a grin. Everyone then turned to Prime including enough cameras to cover every inch of the area ten ways to Sunday.
He glanced around, then shrugged. "May the fortunes of sportsmanship smile upon you. Though, I will say, I hope I win this thing." HUGE LAUGHTER AND A TENSE PROWL NODDING AS HE LOOKS GRIMLY AROUND, HIS BLOOD LUST ALREADY PEAKING. "No cheating, no holds barred. AUTOBOTS, ROLL OUT!"
And they did.
It took a moment for everyone to find their place. While they did, the announcer began to outline the battlefield with Vinn. "Please describe the field of battle for the viewers here on Mars, Earth, Cybertron, and beyond, Vinn."
"This field was designed and built by Beachcomber and his committee. He has a fort in the middle of the ocean over there," he said. "It and the team is new. We don't have a lot of luck with the river and lakes. Note the bridge over there is the only safe place to cross unless you can jump like a gazelle. Under it is a troll or ogre suggested by a child of a member of the planning commission that overseas this game. Nothing is as it seems. To the right, you see Metroplex in the near corner which has the river running through part of it. Camp Awesome borders the edge farther out and then the oil pit is next. Following along the far edge is a mesa that the Dinobots have claimed. Next to that is Red Fort led by the Prime. Coming this way, you see Yellow Fort which is intersected by the river, Blue Fort led by Hard Drive, then the river itself.
"If you look to the right, you see the bridge where the ogre is. Crossing the river that runs at 45 miles per hour, roughly 200 miles per hour if it were up sized from botlet to us, you will come to one of two mazes. Free rangers tend to hide in them. Brown team claimed the area on this side of the river from Metroplex and between the city and Swirly Hole Lake. They don't tend to have a fort itself. As you come to the sidelines again, you will find Mini-con City, the second village site.
"Going eastward, there are the crags which are jagged peaks with snow and glaciers, Green Fort which wanted a moat, up from them is the Underground Fort designed and created for the Dinobots and whatever horrors they brought with them. If we continue, look farthest out … that's Green Team's fort and is the home of all the big frames. The Temple, Mausoleum and Triage Center is next along that direction followed by Team Teal and their fort.
"Coming this way, south of Green Fort is the second lake, Blue Lake. South of that is the city, Hammer of Primus. Nearby to him is the city, Consolation. Both live here when not at work on Cybertron and beyond. The Seeker mesa is next to Consolation and will be home of Team Purple until their arms and legs are pulled off by the Dinobots." Vinn grinned and so did the reporter. So did everyone on five worlds and some far out bases.
"Go eastward and you find another maze, a huge one. Free rangers tend to hang out there as well. We're passing Pretty Ocean. The small island in the middle is for Team Oceania and can only be reached by boat or sub unless your little bot can swim. Next to Pretty Ocean is a huge razor wire maze. Get in that, lose a body part, its that sharp.
"Following that, you come to three tower surrounded by razor wire. I was told that's an open fort. If you can get through the razor wire, then the guns can pick off anyone on the board. Its sort of an incentive site suggested by Wheeljack because he's still steaming about not being allowed to mine the game board. South of that is quicksand but no one knows. The committee decided to leave that out from the players. One of the rules here is you can't be tapped into the commentary. We have a dampening device curtailing the internal commentary link with us unless you stand this far away from the game, so I can tell you and they won't know.
"Further east, you come to the Mountains of Doom, Fort Quack, the last resting place of Team Human and N.E.S.T. and way up to the north on the edge of the game board, the Canyons of Doom. Those are steep, boulder strewn and dangerous."
Jacx grinned. "You sure know how to mess things up."
Vinn grinned. "Bingo." He looked around the board, then pulled a starting gun. "THIS GAME IS ON!" he said, then he fired it into the air.
A roar of the crowd was only exceeded by the roar from the Dinobots themselves.
-0-TBC 4-8-18 MORE TO COME! Edited 4-13-18