The Diego Diaries: Game Face (dd6 592)
=0=Out there
The silence on the bridge was oppressive as the lights on the map came closer and closer. When they crossed the line of no return, Prime opened a channel again. "This is Optimus Prime, Pulsar. If you do not turn around now, then there will be no quarter given. You have a breem to make that decision. Prime out."
=0=Pulsar
He listened to Prime, then grinned. "Well, that sort of tells the story. Get ready for a fight," he told his second.
Rabid turned to the crew and began to bark orders. As he did a small human-like female unseen by anyone thus far walked over to stand beside him. Staring upward with a mild expression on her face, she glanced at a computer console nearby. Looking around a moment, she walked to it, then into it and disappeared.
That is when the device exploded.
=0=Prowl
He watched the group moving toward them undeterred by Prime's ultimatum. Then the lead ship began to slow causing the others with it to make swift course changes to miss running into it. It was puzzling. "Inferno, what's going on?"
Inferno who was working the tactical and sensor station of Furious Storm glanced up at Prowl. "The lead ship has just lost speed. I have no idea why but its thrown everyone else off course."
=0=Salton Sea Flight Deck
Prime leaned forward to watch the screen as the lights began to disperse around one that had begun to slow significantly. He glanced at Devcon who shrugged.
"They lost power somehow, Prime. It's Pulsar's ship."
"Prime to Starscream."
:Starscream here:
"Can we get a closer picture of what is going on?" Prime asked.
:Standby, Prime: Starscream said.
Seconds later, dozens of very fast Seekers flew past Salton Sea blitzing their way to the armada currently attempting to regroup ahead of their own position. The maps showed the Seeker's progress, bright lights flying swiftly toward the armada ahead. Prime watched them with tension and curiosity.
Red Wing and Cloudburst led the group toward the ships ahead providing heavy weapons support to the flight. As they closed in, they turned together in a sweep as the sensor experts among them rolled a quarter turn and flashed their undercarriage at the ships ahead. Their highly advances, fast and intensely detailed devices located there in flight mode scanned deeply, then they flew back at top speed, reaching Furious Storm in no time.
They blitzed their data to Salton Sea, Phobos and Furious Storm where experts immediately began to unwind it for analysis.
:Prowl to Prime:
"Prime here."
:It would appear that Pulsar's ship has lost its capability to continue. It has a complete system failure underway. I would suggest that we attack them now while they're scattered trying to avoid collisions. Maybe we can even get lucky and end this threat entirely:
"Affirmative. Prime to Starscream. Launch interdiction. We are sending support," Prime said as he glanced back at a pensive Hard Drive. He nodded. "You are go, General."
Hard Drive nodded in return, then turned to his mechs. "Let's get this underway," he said calmly as half of them walked to the elevator to enter the battle on the ships that would fight and the few who remained gathered around the table and its battle maps. They linked in with Prowl and Starscream when they did.
=0=In hangar decks on two battle ships
Fighters began to launch in the huge hangar decks of Salton Sea and Furious Storm. Outside already gathering, battle shuttles and cruisers formed up in pre-planned arrangements to go. With a cloud of Seekers joining them, they all stood out with great speed just as nearby two massive ships materialized out of nowhere.
:Typhoon to Prime. Command me:
:This is Tennyson, Prime. I am yours. What do you will?:
"This is Optimus Prime. Array yourself as planned, gentlemen," he said as the two ships immediately moved to battle stations some distance in front of Prime's group, halfway to the stalled armada of Pulsar. They were an astonishing sight as they brought their powerful stupendous guns to bear.
Prime sat back gratified by their presence as he watched the fleet close the gap with Pulsar. Before they reached it, they opened fire. Lines of missiles launched by the cruisers traced their way to their targets on the map on the forward view port. They were heading for ships that struggled in the confusion of their situation to evade.
=0=Pulsar
"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Pulsar demanded as he rose from his seat to turn to his command crew. They were crackerjack and first class so what happened was shocking to him. This sort of thing didn't happen. He as an engineer made sure of it.
"I don't know but we have incoming," Rabid said as he turned to the forward screen. A space map appeared showing huge ships moving onto station after appearing out of thin air, a powerful force including hundreds of Seekers heading their way and tracer lines of missiles that had been launched toward them.
"Make counter measures. NOW!" Pulsar demanded.
They were launched and headed toward the missiles who were closing the gap fast. Three of them were taken out but two were dead on course for ships in his fleet. They were furiously rolling away, ducking and moving swiftly to avoid contact. However, the missiles were smart and found their targets.
Sheering off the tail sections of two of his battle ships, the missiles found their marks. Explosions disabled both ships as they spun, then drifted swiftly away to list in space. Material that was part of their tail assemblies floated away, propelled by the explosion.
Two large pieces struck Pulsar's ship, then spun away. It was hard enough to jolt everyone as they worked feverishly to get out of the box they were in. Ships were coming and they would be in range to shoot soon enough. Retreat was necessary so Pulsar ordered everyone into a nebula nearby.
=0=Impactor's Revenge
"That's not very neighborly heading into that little nebula," Springer said dryly. He glanced at Hercy who sat nearby watching the sensor screens as the armada began to retreat. "Score two for the cruisers nailing the battleships. We get the rest."
"Could be tough, infant. Nebulas aren't much help searching for something. Haven't you watched Star Trek?" Hercy asked with the ghost of a grin.
"Damn. That's right," Springer said with a chuckle. "Follow that fragger, the big cruiser that took shrapnel. They're hurt and I feel lucky."
The mechs laughed as Win set a course for a big cruiser that was powering its way into the distortions of the nebula trailing liquids and metal parts, a mass of energy that would frag with their sensors and make the hunt a smidge more difficult than otherwise. They wouldn't be the only ships heading that way as the rest of their battle group followed him, each of them chasing their own target.
Meanwhile on Pulsar's ship …
He cursed, then ordered his ship evacuated. Nothing was working and if they stayed it would be hand-to-hand in the corridors. Everyone on board hurried to the hangar decks and bridge rooms of the ship, managing just as Kup and his ship began to reach them.
Kup stared at the battleship, itself listing in the crush of debris from two downed vessels. They were evacuating into small ships, those that would fit and heading toward the nebula at high speed. Seekers chased them firing at their afts and scoring a number of victories doing so before the rest made it into the dimness of the nebula.
"Well, we get to score the big one," Kup said. "Kup to Red Wing."
:Red Wing here:
"I need a scan of the big ship here, Pulsar's vessel. Is there anyone still aboard?" he asked.
:On it: Red Wing said.
Moments later, several Seekers flew over it, then back to magnetize. They walked along the hull scanning with their specialized deep penetrating gear. After a moment, they waved to Kup. :All is clear:
"What can you tell me about booby traps?" Kup asked.
They stepped up and flew over to the shuttle with their ped propulsion capabilities. Entering the vessel, they turned to Kup. "I wouldn't go in there. That's Pulsar's command ship. He wouldn't give it up without a fight. I'd pull back now."
Kup nodded to Sep who threw her in reverse. All of the ships with Kup pulled back and as they reached what they felt was a safe distance, the battleship ignited and blew up.
=0=Prime
He tensed as the light of a ship exploding filled the screen. He saw his shuttle tumble in the blast waves that rolled out as the ship continued to explode. "Prime to Kup."
It took a moment, then it was static-filled, the reply. :Kup here. The battleship is a wipe. Fraggers:
"Are there casualties?" Prime asked.
:Bruises and bumps. We're going into the nebula. I suppose you want the slaggers: Kup replied.
"Not if there are casualties. I want everyone to come home. Do what you can and be careful. I will have Tennyson and Typhoon try to scan the nebula," Prime replied.
:Got ya. Kup out: He turned to his crew including a bemused Sun. "You ready for the fun, General?" he asked the big black Autobot.
"I was borned for this, Kup. Let's get the slaggers," Sun said as he walked to a gun to sit and bring it on line.
The other mechs grinned as they walked to the rest to take their places for the shooting to come. It was going to be interesting.
=0=In the mix
Pulsar sat on the command seat of one of his other battleships watching the static-filled sensor screen showing what was outside. He had texted his crews giving them the flight plan and they were forming up again. He was going to go deep inside, lose the fraggers, then regroup and plot a strategy.
Obviously, Razorclaw and Ominous hadn't been permitted to come and this show being Prime's was a taste of what he could deliver. There must be some truth that he held Cybertron, a deal changer in a way he hadn't fully determined yet. Right now, he was going to get to a secured place, then decide his next move. Playing chess in the soup of radiation that surrounded them would be a game of nerves and guts. He had a plethora of both so he sat down and began to think about his next move.
=0=Ironhide
He sat in the engineer's chair watching the sensor screen as Sandstorm flew the ship. Sitting at some of the gun placements, his uncle Blackjack chatted calmly with his atar and appa, Blackjack the Younger and Raptor. They had jumped on the shuttle and stood out for the battle group, taking their place with the regular troops. Hard Drive would handle the battle plan. Sun and Jack would have the fun. So it would turn out later that Lissie and Steiner had the same thought.
"Personally, I think they all need decommissioning. I heard that Sixshot went with Megatron so that slagger isn't on the list this time," Jack was saying to Raptor.
"We'll get him next time," Raptor said. "None of these slaggers are going to interfere again. We drove off Killmaster and Heretech."
"Good. I never liked those slaggers," Jack said calmly. "Had a few in the sights but my rounds bounced off. It was sort of fun, though, to see them jump." He grinned, an eerie version of the rest of them as they sped even farther into the fog of the nebula. They would disappear right away.
=0=Phobos
"What happens now, Commander?" a youngling med tech asked Ratchet as they watched debris drift past from the former battleship of Pulsar.
"Well, they'll chase them into the nebula and everyone is going to fly around without finding each other, then we're going to mine the slag out of it hoping to score a big one before we leave here. We'll also hide sensors and devices to watch for them if they persist. Prime means to end the threat and if we have to put a group out here we will."
"Then … you think there might be shooting?" the kid asked as the others stared at Ratchet with solemn expressions.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Right now, we have the peace. We shouldn't borrow trouble. I know it will always find you if it wants to," Ratchet said with a grin.
Nearby watching without being seen, an entity of some kind agreed with him silently. Then she simply faded away.
=0=TBC 2-12-19 edited 2-18-19
Note replies tomorrow. :D