The Diego Diaries: War (dd6 348)
-0-Around the area
The soldiers stood in the viewing stand for their species and watched the show before them. It was clear that an operation was going to be heading out but they hadn't been told yet. The ships that were being brought to the field and serviced were battleships, light fast cruisers and a lot of fighter-carriers. There were also more than the usual number of Wrecker and Wrecker-type battle shuttles among them.
"This is a fleet to fight a fleet," Will Lennox said as he pulled out his encrypted phone. Dialing a number that only a handful of individuals had both on and off world, he waited. The voice at the other end was crisp and to the point.
"Morshower. What's going on, Lennox?"
"General, we're standing in the viewing box watching a huge fleet build up. Have you been told about it yet?" Lennox replied.
"No. I'll get back to you." The caller hung up.
"He's calling back. He hasn't heard either," Will said as a number of big heavily armed Seekers lifted off to fly into the darkness of space. Their roar was muffled by the building.
-0-Phone tag
"You have an incoming call from Morshower on Earth," Prowl said as he leaned into the office from the corridor. "Do you wish it or do I fob him off for now?"
Prime who was sitting at his desk attending to many different things glanced up. "I will take it, Prowl," he said as he looked at the monitor nearby. Tapping a blinking light on a console on his desk, Glenn Morshower's face appeared. He looked concerned. "General. Good morning."
"Good evening, Prime," he said acknowledging the time difference on two worlds. "What's happening? I hear you have a fleet build up underway."
Prime nodded. "That is not for public consumption just yet. A big battle group just jumped in from the Bootes Constellation. They are a hardcore group of very dangerous Decepticons and civilian criminals. We have to meet them before they team up with Ominous who is their closest point of intersect or Razorclaw who is harder to reach but not out of the question for them with their limited but effective bridge capabilities."
"How is this group different from others?" Morshower asked as several of his aides listened in the background. He was in his spacious office in Virginia at the Pentagon.
"This group is led by a figure called Shrike. That is the name he uses but is not his original designation. Not much is known about him personally but professionally, he is very dangerous and no one who can be reasoned with. He is a cold blooded killer. If he reaches Ominous, he will challenge for the leadership and very clearly could prevail. At that point, the combined forces would then immediately come for us here at Mars and Earth. There is no question among us that he would follow those steps of conquest. He kills our children for sport. He cannot combine with Ominous, overthrow him and move forward."
"Then you're looking at war with this group," Morshower said rather than asked, his face grim with concern.
Prime nodded. "It will be the only way to stop him. There is no reason in him nor, I would wager, his crew."
"What are his capabilities and strengths?" Morshower asked.
"We are unclear at the moment. I just dispatched heavily armed Seekers to bridge out to where he is and do a sensor sweep. The more we know, the more we can design our team. We are going for overwhelming force. If they do not surrender, they will be turned away or annihilated."
"What is the likelihood of them turning away?" Morshower asked.
Prime considered that. "There is no history of this commander or his forces ever doing that. I do not expect it now."
It was silent a moment, then Morshower nodded. "What can we do to support this?"
Prime felt the warmth that filled him when these small creatures always stepped up. "You can continue to be our friends both here and on Earth. I do not want your people to know this and panic. We can tell the end story when its over but for now, we wish you to have confidence in this and to rest easy."
"I can give you the confidence, Prime, but the resting easy part will be harder. We will do our best for a successful outcome," Morshower said. "What is the likelihood that some of us can hitch a ride with you on this venture?"
Prime considered that. "It depends on what the Seekers tell us is coming. I will keep you in the loop no matter what happens."
They chatted a moment, then signed off. Moments later in the viewing box …
"They said they would know shortly. Keep me informed on what you see yourself," Morshower said.
"Will do," Lennox replied, then they signed off. Staring at the field as things continued, Lennox looked at the others. "It looks like war."
-0-Elsewhere
Ratchet called his troops, gave the word, then headed out to take care of the civilian end of their process. Refugees were coming in a steady clip and that wouldn't change. Few of them needed very much doctoring so the range of facilities from Cybertron, Gliese and here were ready for anything that might come of this venture. He would issue orders to the alpha, beta, gamma, and standby shifts as soon as Prime spoke to The People. Now, he had to take care of their personal civilians.
He hurried out of the building, walked down the road to Sports Center Street, then crossed at the corner from there to Metroplex Highway 1. Down he went, walking through the crowds on the streets heading this way and that, past businesses on storefronts that had customers coming and going until he reached the Polyhex Business Plaza where RTR Tools was located. He walked inside, through the crowds to the store where he entered. It was crowded with those making orders and those picking them up. He walked around the counter, kissed his ada on his helm, then slipped into the work room. It was filled with adults between classes who greeted him with hugs and hoo-hah. Sitting, taking a donut, he chatted until Ravel walked back inside.
Tie who doused a glowing knife blade into water glanced at Ratchet through the steam. "Why are you here, son?"
Everyone looked at him expectantly so he decided to be factual without being emotional. "We have a big group jumping in from the Bootes that's up to no good. We have to go out and stop them from coming here. Prime doesn't want them to link up with Ominous or Razorclaw, so we're going out to slag them before they get closer. They can't link up or they'll come at us with big resources."
It was quiet, even funereal in the room as they stared at him. Appa Ratchet sat forward, his cat hopping down from his lap. "What does this mean, Sonny? You going to fight?"
Ratchet looked at the elder who had worked like a mule his entire life, who had been his rock and comfort, who had deprived himself so that he could have the little his family could scrape together for him and felt emotion rising. "It could be called that. We prefer calling it a good hard slagging. We're going out in force, with overkill built in. I do the doctoring, they do the fighting, a bad guy bites the dust and all are safer again. We don't take chances with anyone or anywhere."
"But you're going to be in danger, all of you," Ravel asked anxiously. "Are the femmes going? What about our boys?"
"We're going in teams, highly veteran teams. We know how to do this. We're bringing big guns. We know how to shoot them. Hardie is in charge. Lissie has close in while Ironhide, Raptor and Blackjack are going to lead arms of force. You can't do better than that."
It was quiet, then Tie lay down his tongs and blade. He sat heavily on a stool. "I had gotten used to the peace. I had gotten used to things being better. I don't want my family in harms way. I don't want anyone else who is here to be there either. This is so hard to hear, son. I know they still roam around out there but this is hard."
Ratchet stood and walked to his atar. He hugged him as he sat in the chair, weariness and disappointment slumping his shoulders. "I hear ya. But know this … we took Cybertron without a shot because Prime led us. He leads us now. Remember that."
"Its all that keeps me going sometimes," Tie said.
They sat together in the work room talking about what they could do about the kids during this, perhaps several orns of battle far away. It could be over in joors or last longer. Either way, the elders worked out how they would cover the family's children.
-0-In a garden nearby
They stood at the gate of the section set aside for the humans. It was surrounded by a small wooden and stone fence that had been fronted with bushes, held flower boxes on its sides at intervals and was highly grown over with flowers and vines. It looked like an old English garden in some country town in the midlands. It had an arch over the entrance that said, 'Home is where the heart is' carved into the wood. They opened the gate, then walked inside. There were plots of a good size everywhere in the enclosed space. Leafy trees bordered the green space and around the area small bird bathes could be seen. Feeders for birds, both for seed and the liquid humming birds required were hung on ornate poles. The paths to all the plots around the space were cobblestone. Green grass grew between the stones and in the far corner a small bee hive buzzed with activity.
"Don't worry about the bees," Olivia said. "They can't sting through the suits." She led the way forward as they walked down the paths that separated the growing plots from each other. There were individual family plots for the human groups here and three big ones that were set asides for the schools. They were tended by the human children of Sparkling, Youngling and Intermediate Day. Some of the plants were for projects and others were those the kids wanted themselves. It was pleasant, warm and the air smelled of moist soil and flowers.
"This is so beautiful," Cassie Daniels said as she walked with the others through the big enclosed space. Hanging from some of the bird feeders were small bells or beads that sparkled in the light from the dome, their silver music adding to the magical atmosphere of the place. "How do they water this? I have a big garden at home."
"They use underground watering systems for this. The weeds are maintained by us, pulled out by hand. The garden tools are in that little shed," Olivia said as she pointed to one nearby. "The berries are ready to eat. Let's have a few. See how big they are?" Olivia said as she walked to a blackberry patch and pulled some. They stopped a moment to indulge, called them delicious, then walked onward. Another gate led out of the area into a small stand of fruit trees. "This grove is ours. See those over there?" she said pointing out a big stand that stretched out toward the housing area of the Hu-An. "That grove is poison. These trees are the only ones that are safe. They're tended by us and when the fruit is ripe, the Ladies Auxiliary comes out to pick them. They produce a lot of fruit. We share it with the N.E.S.T. and Family habitats. Hopefully in future, we can have more and more will get it. Earth 1 has a grove and Earth2 just started one. We want to produce our own food here. Remember, if its outside our fence, its death."
They stood in the warm sunlight eating small sweet apples, then walked back out to the vehicle. A ride around the rest of the road system brought them to the gates and Mingo once more. She let them out and they drove onward heading toward the Resort on the hillside and lunch with the real movers and shakers in the human community, Judy Witwicky and her squad.
-0-Mission creep
Partition stood in the doorway of the sub-command center looking for her, then entered when he saw Lancer sitting on a chair next to Arcee. He paused behind her. "What's the word so far?" he asked.
Lancer grinned at him. "Might be good, might not be. We might have to pause the bonding ceremony. This could be fast, or not."
Partition frowned. "Frag. I'll let my folks know. They're working out party details with Bluestreak. I suppose he's going, too?"
"Actually, Blue is handling things here. We can't have entire families on missions together when they have kids," Lancer said as Arcee nodded. "I saw your name on the medic roster. You're tentatively posted to Ada's ship."
"Good," Partition said with the fervor of true belief. "What about Morius and Inweld?"
"They're pulling shifts for the alphas in the Watch. Lots of fill-in responsibilities for the newer recruits. I'm surprised you're on the medic list. No offense," she said with a grin.
He smirked at her. "None taken. Much."
They bantered together as the planning went onward as the lists forming on the overhead monitors by the various commanders building the fleet began to grow.
-0-Out there
They flashed out of the bridge and flew onward, their guns and sensors facing the threat that was close by. Given that Shrike hated Seekers the same way that some humans hated minorities … mindless and heated rage … they wouldn't have to contend with counter measures from their own kind. They flew onward together in a very dangerous (to an enemy) battle formation as they began to cast their sensors wide and far.
-0-Ops Center
They sat on chairs listening to Prowl and Prime describe what they hoped could happen with the children as they clued Kestrel, Tagg, Venture, and Miler in on the mission. Downplaying how much danger there was, they expressed a plan that leaned heavily on The Fortress Military Day Care here in the building. No one was to overdo themselves and no one was to drop their life. It could be overnight or even longer, but it wasn't going to be months and years. Those long term battles were no longer part of the thought processes of Prime and Prowl. Though they were now living a peaceful personally fulfilling life together, though Prime was given to the possibilities that war was a last and losing strategy for everyone at best, Prowl hadn't lost any of his cold blooded calculation and merciless instinct for the jugular just because he had a happy home life. In fact, one could say it was magnified under those conditions.
"So we want you to know that becoming worn out will not be helpful to yourselves or the children. They are military kids. They know that sometimes things happen and that day care is there for them and for you," Prime said gently. "Miler will be on duty during this process with the Alpha Bridge team so I am afraid it falls to you three. Bluestreak will be on duty at communications in the Operational Center and the twins will be in the field with the rest of us."
Kes nodded, then put his servo over Prime's. "What is the likelihood of danger to our people, son?"
"There is always danger, Ada, but we are very good at this," Optimus said gently. The markers of distress were already there in his Ada's aura and he felt fury that they were. "You must trust in us that we will prevail and come back home swiftly."
"We will," Tagg said firmly. "We can go to the Temple, Kes, and ask the Pantheon for help. They will help us. Orion bears the Matrix. They will listen to him."
Kes stared from Tagg to Optimus. "We know. We know they love you. How could they not? You are a good mech, Orion. We will do our part."
Optimus felt warmth filter through him as he stared at his parents. Nothing could ever express how he felt that they were here, safe and happy. "You always do," he said gently.
Prowl who was watching them with a helpless sense of fury nodded. "Don't worry, Kes and Tagg. You either," he said to his genitors. "Those slaggers are going to fall."
-0-TBC 5-8-18 edited 7-3-18