The Diego Diaries: War and Aftermath (dd6 357)
-0-Out there
The bridge was silent as they listened for response. Shrike was either dead or going radio silent. Either way, they were stuck with big ships and many dead. It appeared they would have to board them and his best leadership for the task, Springer and Drift were on the Earth trying to catch four (maybe) ships that had broken through with Omega. Omega was being airlifted to the Repair Hangar for big frames in the Hangar District to be assisted with Ratchet tuned in as facilitator due to his programming as a bonded medic for big frames. He was watching a feed of the operation in a part of his processor that could do dozens of things at the same time without distracting or discombobulating him from his duties at the fore front.
Right now, he needed Springer and Drift. :Prime to Springer:
:Springer, Prime:
:What is your current situation?:
-0-Earth, at the Current Situation
Springer paused to take the call. :We're dropping sensor sounders and hopefully can get a grip on where they are, the fraggers. They're speeding around Hawaii at the moment. The volcano is throwing out radiation and heat among other slag and its distorting things. We thought we had them a couple of times but they turned out to be whales:
:Are you on cameras?: Prime asked.
:Uh …: Springer glanced out the hatch of his ship at the several helicopters hovering around them, two from news organizations and three from the RIMPAC fleet nearby. Apparently, the navy of other countries weren't going to take any orders from the General in charge of Global N.E.S.T.
Among other things.
:Yes, unfortunately:
"Prowl, check for broadcasts from Hawaii and see if Ironhide's operation is on camera," Prime said as he turned back to Springer. :Ironhide:
:Here, Prime:
:I need Springer and Drift to lead ship boarding. We have them hemmed in and contained. Unless they surrender, they will have to be boarded. Can you manage without them? Call up others from the general army, alpha class to assist. I am going to need Hercy and that level of soldier for this mission so if they identify with this, do not call them up:
:On my way: Springer said as he clapped Ironhide on the shoulder. "See ya."
"Be careful, you two," Ironhide said gruffly.
They grinned, then turned to the doorway. Waving at the helicopters, they walked to the end of the shuttle, Impactor's revenge. Several sailors, a marine and two news reporters waved to them as they left, stepping through the bridge to the shuttle deck of Xantium nearly 95,000 light years away from Earth.
-0-On the ground
They had affixed cables onto certain features of Omega's frame that were placed there just for this specific purpose. Four flying cranes were overhead and they were given particular areas to lift to help raise the big figure of Omega Supreme. They had designed a plan to lift him in unison to alleviate more internal breakage from occurring. It required precise math and coordination on the part of the four pilots and eight crane operators among the four ships. But they were incredibly good at this kind of thing. They lifted all manner of immensity both on and off world as well as Cybertron. No one was better.
That was only mildly comforting to Silverbolt who had been assured that Omega was now stable and even though it would take time to recover, he would. Silverbolt would be off the duty rotation until Omega was back on his peds, something he had been granted from Prowl from the moment he'd been told. He was on Diego chatting with this siblings before they went to Cybertron. When they had departed and he'd relaxed into recharge, the call had come. He had never flown so far so fast in his life.
A siren went off calling everyone to clear the area. Trucks, other vehicles and those on foot ran free and clear, then turned to watch. The four ships hovering overhead slowly began to retract their cables. When they were taut, the operation fell into the realm of the engineers and cable operators. The pilot turned the ship over to the pre-programmed computer map of the operation that would lift Omega, fly him over the Hangar District, than directly into the huge medical building that was made tall enough that big frames could be cared for standing up. Sometimes it was necessary.
The sound of metal grating and the shifting of metallic parts was loud but signaled nothing more than moving an unconscious load of several million tons into the air. Moving upward slowly and in perfect unison, the ships rose to a height that would clear everything around them, then flew slowly forward. It was an astonishing sight to see, the invulnerable, magnificent, phenomenal figure of the Great Omega Supreme as most considered him, hanging in wires several hundred feet above ground, slowly flying forward to the Big Hangar as it was called. It seemed to take forever, then they reached it and flew directly inside, the design of the building created as necessary for occasions such as this. It took what seemed forever before the sound of millions of tons of metal settling on the ground was heard. Then about a half breem later, the ships moved out of the hangar one by one.
Huge cheers and clapping went up as they flew out, then onward toward the Industrial Park Cities where they worked every day. Omega was in the hospital and all would be well. It would also be a colossally viewed video on Youtube for some time to come.
-0-Around
Tom Banachek and Seymour Simmons had stayed around to watch Omega lift off. They had sped after the sky borne giants to the medical hangar where they saw the cranes gently lower the big mech to the ground. Standing around with innumerable machines, cables and fuel lines, a mob of crew was waiting. He was lowered, then techs unhitched the lines which were then winched back upward. When they were, the ships flashed their running lights in delight, then moved off slowly through the open doors at the other end of the hangar. It was an astonishing sight in a long line of the same.
Seymour turned the segway around, then made their way back toward the crash site. They were going to skirt it, head toward the highway nearby, then speed to the Resort and Banachek's check in there. It was slow going as they had to wait for trucks and vehicles to pass, police to redirect them around hazardous waste and other damages that were everywhere, as well as find ways to forge streams of liquids that shimmered in the sunlight with rainbow patterns. A bot threw a piece of metal over a gully at one point so they could reach the street.
Normal traffic was blocked off but they were able to move onward. Aerie Hill would have to use the alternate roadway in the west to get home while Resort traffic was curtailed until further notice. Small vehicles such as segways would be able to maneuver but the rest was still dangerous until it was cleared up. Buzzing along the sidewalk, Banachek looked at the giant arenas across the way, both of them stupefyingly big but ultimately familiar. Passing both, crossing the highway to get to the side where the path was smooth and free of debris, they hustled along. :What do you think?: Simmons asked as he drove. :It's bigger than it looks on television:
Banachek grinned. :I noticed that. The arenas look surreal:
:You should be there during a game: Simmons said as he gunned it along. They followed the street until they came to Resort Drive, the turnoff to their destination and the giant monastery beyond. Buzzing down that turnoff, they crossed the street again and followed the sidewalk.
:The straight ahead road at the junction … it was to Aerie Hill, right?: Banachek asked.
:Yeah. The Seekers built into the hills because it helps them come and go. They like heights. The Resort wanted the view for tourists. This your first time here?: Simmons asked.
Banachek nodded. :Yes, it is:
:Lucky you. You're going to get the million dollar tour: Simmons said.
Banachek looked to the south which was the panoramic view of the colony. It was a glittering sight with eight lane highways leading to every island of civilization perched here and there, dotting the vast sandy plain for miles. One could make out faintly the human habitats from this distance on the cliff side as well as the Basilica. The bigger buildings, the forest of skyscrapers at every city location, the Industrial Park City complex that seemed to fade into the distance in a gleaming white conglomeration of carefully planned and designed magnificence … all of it looked beautiful and organized yet without regimentation. One could expect that from machine-based individuals but the beauty surprised him. It didn't seem to be in keeping with AI mentalities. It was clear to him at that moment that he had a lot to learn. It was to his credit in his line of business that he was open to doing so.
They turned up the cobblestone drive to the massive Resort before them. It was colossally vast and tall, three giant floors of habitation and recreation followed by two giant domes to the west, the first outdoor space and the new one that was double the other. The cobblestones themselves were beautiful, hand laid in a herringbone pattern that was smooth as glass. Copper colored sand grouted them together, a salute to Mars even as they patterned the drive in accordance with human tastes.
It was a long drive past the building to the rear where they would pull in and after passing through the habitat entrance enter to park and dismount to go inside. They walked along the loading dock, through one of the stores rooms that held thousands of tons of supplies and materials to enter the building. It was filled with humans who were stranded inside because of the catastrophe outside. Staring through the telescopes, through Resort binoculars or their own telescopic lenses on cameras trained to the airfield, they watched as on screens around the room, some rolled out by the facility, the guests speculated on the disaster. A large number of them had actually been watching the colony with the devices when Omega came in and crashed. It had taken a bit of time and effort to get everyone in the shelters including those watching with incredulity as the scene unfolded.
Walking toward the desk down the concourse, several humans noted their environmental gear. An older man with two younger ones and their wives turned to them. "Hi. Are you a local or what?" the older man asked.
"I am. He's visiting," Simmons said as they halted. As they did, more humans noticed and began to gather around them.
"What happened? Some in the shelter said that they saw a ship come through that bridge thing, then crash. He rolled and rolled, hitting a lot of buildings. What was this about?" the older man asked.
"That was the great Omega Supreme," Simmons said with a trace of pride and protective feeling. "He was in combat with Prime and got hurt. He came in at death's door and tried to land. He crashed and rolled. He's going to be alright and you guys will get to go out again when they clear the area. They do things quickly around here so it shouldn't be too long."
"What about Prime and the battle?" a younger man asked. "What about the ships going to Earth?"
Simmons glanced at Banachek who stared at Simmons curiously. Seymour turned to the group. "Prime stopped a terrible group of 'Cons and criminals out there. Some got hurt. He's taking them apart now so they don't come here and do that to us. Ironhide was given the job of getting the ships on Earth. They're fighters, small ones and Ironhide will get them. Trust me."
They chatted a moment, then the two excused themselves as they headed toward the office and check in. Walking around the counter, they entered the big common office where the women and some of their family and worker bees were huddled around a giant television screen displaying both the scene outside and the one on Earth. Judy Witwicky turned to Seymour, someone who had arrested her in the past but was now on the same team.
Team Survival.
"Is this your boss, Seymour?" she asked with a smirk.
"He is. Tom Banachek, meet Judy Witwicky," Seymour said with a smirk.
"Forgive me if I don't have a purse handy, Banachek, but if I did you'd get one across the face," Judy said.
The women and men around her laughed. "You better believe it. Just ask Rampage," Linda Graham said as she sat in a glider nearby rocking Aedh slightly.
Her mother and father who were sitting with them glanced at Linda. "Who is Rampage?" her mum asked.
-0-Out there
They gathered on Xantium as they went over the plan to take the ships. Some of the smaller ones would be the Object Lesson for the big ones. If that failed, then Plan B would commence. Plan B was simple. Board, bag, blow up. Everyone hoped for Object Lesson to prevail. Everyone but Roadbuster, that is.
"Let's try this one," Springer said as he pointed to a relatively intact shuttle that had become trapped between two cruisers that no longer had propulsion capabilities.
Prime nodded, then sat back in his chair. "Open a channel, Smokescreen." He did. "This is Optimus Prime, small shuttle numbered A-67. We are seeking your surrender. Leave the ship into space and come our way. When you are out of range of the guns currently still operational on the cruiser blocking you on the starboard side, we will pick you up and transfer you to a medic and detention. You will be given all the treatment that the Rules of Warfare demand. Send receipt and intentions of compliance."
It was silent, then a seething deeply guttural voice replied in a heavy Slaughter City accent. "Frag off, Prime. You want us, come get us."
"You were asked to surrender. What follows will be on you," Prime said as he nodded to Devcon.
Sitting at fire control, Devcon targeted the propulsion section of the shuttle, then shot it to slag. It blew up brilliantly, faded just as swiftly, then the secondary explosion that followed due to the proximity of the engines to the energon stash of fuel the ship used caused it to slam into the side of the farther cruiser that prevented its escape. Ricocheting back against the first cruiser, then back again to the other, the shuttle was slapped within an inch of its life. It finally sagged with defeat, drifting downward like a dead fish to the bottom of the ocean.
It was silent, then Prime spoke again. "Shuttle, step off and come this way. The next shots will not be designed to do anything more than send you to the Matrix. Comply. You have half a breem. Prime out."
They sat in silence, their guns posed on the ships in the center of their circular firing squad. It would seem like forever before the ship gave word of their intentions.
-0-Resort
"Attention. Attention."
Everyone in the giant facility paused a moment to listen.
"This is management. We've received word that no one from the Resort will be going into the colony until tomorrow morning. So in response to that, we're extending the duration of your stay with us by one day. We sometimes have these things happen and we want you to have the full experience you sought when you came here. Please enjoy your day here. Tomorrow, the program of touring and sightseeing with commence once again. Thank you."
Sarah Lennox toggled off the main speaker, then grinned at the others. "We're going to have a one day overlap but thank goodness we have the room to make it happen."
"Yeah," Lonnie said as she rose to walk to the printer nearby. "I'm glad we can. This is a trip of a lifetime. Sort of like the time I finally got to go to Niagara Falls."
"For your honeymoon?" Linda Graham asked.
"No," Lonnie said with a grin. "That was at Yosemite. I got to go to Niagara Falls when my girl friend got married and wanted to do it on the platform near the water falls. I thought I'd drown."
"Sounds romantic," Linda said with a laugh.
"I went to Niagara Falls once. Never on a romantic thing. I just wanted to see it. Tommy is a good guy but romantic? Eh..." Lois Morshower-Howell said. "Don't tell him I said so."
"We won't." -everyone in the room who would tell him anyway.
The slaggers.
-0-In a hangar
Silverbolt stood with the team of engineers and doctors who were putting Omega back together. On a monitor nearby, Ratchet watched the plan, running it against the telemetry that was flowing directly from Omega to him. It was a solid plan, one designed to stabilize the big mech, allow his systems to be examined and temporarily shunted to handle his situation along with debriding all his wounds. Taking out the damaged stuff, some of it to be immediately replaced would take a few orns. Some of it would have to be wait listed because putting new hardware in to replace the damage required letting it assimilate and reboot. It would take time.
Ratchet glanced at the pensive face of Silverbolt, a mech he really liked. Silverbolt was smart, decent, kindly, hard to fool, gentle minded, and loyal. This was going to be a long convalescence for everyone. They would settle on a plan, Silverbolt would watch them fix Omega and it would be a very long two weeks before Omega would be able to sit up and allow even more work to be done. By the time he was standing in the repair bay, he would be well on his way. It would take a month before he would be able to walk out of the hangar and feel even close to his old self.
Silverbolt would be beside him when he did.
-0-TBC 5-15-18 edited 7-5-18
ESL:
AI: artificial intelligence, computer robotic minds.
debride, debriding: to clean a wound. if there is dead flesh in a wound, debriding cuts that away. In Omega's case, they will clean out and take out anything that can't be left