The Diego Diaries: El Kabong (dd6 600)

=0=Out there in the clearing

The enemy ships came to its call too late but they were there, three battle shuttles and two cruisers for the dying battleship. They expected a fight but the sight of another battleship, the Salton Sea, four shuttles, two giant transformed mechanisms that had Supreme detailing and a cloud of Seekers surprised the pirates down to their cores. Standing on the decks of their ships, five commanders turned to their pilots. "EVADE!" five enemy commanders shouted.

Then everyone everywhere fired their big big guns.

The films that would be taken later on by Jazz and the senior team of military instructors to be examined from each vantage point for content and training issues, including that from mechs on ships, Seekers and Devcon who was flying straight at a shuttle with his specialized guns blazing would never totally tell the tale of this moment. It would be impossible to separate what was going on from the last moments of Cybertron's fall when this kind of intense close quarters battle was had everywhere you were then on the ground and in the air. Tracers showed who pitched and who received. If there were sounds it would have been apocalyptic.

"FIRE!" Prime said as he stood up tensely to walk forward. He reached the forward view ports and paused beside the box filled with mesmerized and appalled human soldiers.

As the ship began to recoil slightly to indicate return fire for that incoming, two giant mechs in root mode went for one of the cruisers. Xantium grabbed one of them closest to him even as Omega climbed over him and headed for two of the four shuttles nearby.

Two shuttles both arced away and fell into the darkness below the level plane where everyone currently last two were boxed in and began to frantically shoot as they tried to find a way to escape. The second cruiser stopped full on and began to pour fire at Salton Sea. Sitting in their box in the forward part of the bow, Will Lennox, Niall Graham, Gavin Pritchard and Bobby Epps watched with an appalled sense of doom. The streaks from the cruiser were hitting them, some close to the windows nearest to where they were housed in safety. Even if the ports were blown out, they were safe in their box. However, it was too close for comfort even for them. Their soldierly instinct to take cover was trumped by their safety box so they sat and watched like they were at a really really realistic IMAX watching the invasion of Normandy from beachfront seats.

"Mama," Bobby Epps said softly as the other three nodded.

Prime who was staring out the windows beside their box looked pissed. As he stared with fury a shuttle came blazing in, flashing past them and it was the City of Helex. Hercy was in command and they were bringing the hurt.

"I think I'm in love," Epps said as they watched the fire between the two vessels. It was head on, face to face slagging it out as the shuttle began to close in on the cruiser. "Whoever that is, I'm going to marry them."

"I hear ya." -the other three men with a sense of awe and agreement

Just then, a number of Seekers streaked by as well, heavy gunners sent by Starscream. They concentrated fire on the cruiser. Fires bloomed on both, then died away immediately. The cruiser began to drop downward attempting to slip into the darkness and gas that surrounded them. As they did, Hercy and the Seekers followed. They disappeared, all of them, nearly instantly.

Meanwhile, Omega and Zee had their hands full, literally. Omega had swarmed over his brother and the cruiser Zee had gripped tightly, to slam with his fists into the two remaining shuttles that at that moment were still within swinging range. One of them was spun away, slipping through the space that the wounded cruiser Hercy had chased off had occupied. It was spinning with a huge dent in the side as Omega wrapped himself around the other. In a hug with the shuttle clutched to his chassis, Omega Supreme flashed past the Salton Sea and disappeared into the darkness next to the battlefield with both, one in grips and the other of which he was in hot pursuit.

Prime watched and so did the soldiers who were dumbfounded with awe as almost at once pieces of one of the shuttles began to fly back toward them from the darkness apparently ripped from it by Omega.

Prime turned to the pilot. "Fall back," he shouted as a huge plate bounced off the window. It was instructive that the impact left no mark.

That comforted the humans and it didn't.

If you get the meaning.

As it stood now, one cruiser was crippled and being pursued by Hercy and the Seekers. The other was being destroyed by Xantium who was grinning broadly as he did. Two shuttles had disappeared away and two were currently being destroyed as one fled perhaps fatally wounded, dropping away to save itself from the maddened and pursuing Omega Supreme who was showing the universe what his special function as a Guardian was … saving Autobots, civilian or military wherever they were even at his own expense In the middle of the melee, helpless and vulnerable, a mass of survivors floated in all manner of distress.

"Prime to Ratchet."

:Ratchet here, Optimus:

"What is your situation there? We have a great deal of wounded all over the battlefield," Prime said.

It was silent a moment, then Ratchet was back. "I called for Kappa and the Beta team to come to wrap this up, Optimus. I can come now."

"Do. We have fighting and the survivors from downed ships are caught in the middle of a terrible battle," Prime said grimly.

"Frag," Ratchet replied. "We're coming. Ratchet out."

Prime stared at the battle field as Xantium put the final smack down on the cruiser. With a grip on two ruptured seams, he pulled them completely apart as if ripping something open down the middle. The cruiser tore like a paper bag. Explosions and fire flared out, plasma burning even in vacuum as the ship literally disintegrated in his grip.

More crew spilled out, some flying with their own propulsion and others just floating away without engagement. It was a catastrophic end to a ship that probably had never shown mercy to anyone anywhere at any time. Still, Prime was furious and frustrated. He walked back to the command chair as the humans turned in their seats to watch. He sat, then glanced at Blaster. "Open a channel as wide as you can, Blaster."

Blaster complied. "You're good to go, Optimus."

Optimus turned his angry gaze to the forward view port as Prowl walked over to stand next to him. "This is Optimus Prime. We have come here to prevent you from entering my territorial space. So far, we have destroyed at least five shuttles, three battleships and three cruisers. It would be in your best interests to surrender or leave. You will not defeat us nor will you be allowed to link up with anyone in this territory. I am ruler of this space and all of it for 250,000 light years in all direction. I possess and hold Cybertron and the Inner Empire. You would do well to surrender or flee. If you stay, we will hunt and destroy you. Signal your intentions or I will accept that you wish to fight to the end. Prime out."

He sat back to wait. He would have to wait a long time.

=0=Prowl and Rabid

Prowl had left the deck to go to the med bay where Rabid had been taken once he reached the ship. He had minor injuries which were attended to. As Prowl entered, he noted the tall mech, handsome, smart and little known beyond that as he sat on the berth watching Prowl approach with a mixture of anger and wariness. Prowl stopped before him. "You are the prisoner of the Prime of Cybertron and as such he will extend to you what you wouldn't in different circumstances. You will be held in good conditions, receive a fair hearing and if I'm on the jury a swift execution. Pray that I am not," he said with the coldness and former manner of himself some time before his current condition. He wanted to know the armada size and he was prepared to get Biblical if necessary to get it.

What Prime didn't know, Prime wouldn't worry about.

Rabid stared at Prowl. He knew who he was and he knew that Prowl would probably slice him in two, shake out the data, then cast him into a smelter if he could. Everyone on their side of the aisle knew that version of Prowl and no other. They had all fought him and few of them didn't admire his genius, ruthlessness toward goal completion and cold blooded intensity. Without a few saving Autobot graces, Prowl was more like him in the race to win than he probably would like to be. "I suppose you would. What do you want to know? Maybe I'll tell you."

Prowl stared at him with The Look, one that would melt paint off a mechanism and as he did he could see the faint tells that Rabid felt its heat. "I want to know how many ships, what kind and who is in charge. If they want to live, its up to you to make it possible. Right now, my planned objective is to obliterate every single individual ship and crew so that we can go home and have dinner. You do get that I mean what I say, correct?"

"Everyone knows that, Prowl," Rabid replied bitterly. "What happens to me and the crews if I help you?"

"They live and you get a chance to earn your freedom back, though I'm not sure you can. You, after all, are a murderous fragger without scruples or conscience," Prowl replied as the persona slipped tighter into place.

"You must be looking into a mirror, Prowl," Rabid said as he considered his options, slim to none. "What about Pulsar?"

"He's phase six. He will be disabled, then incarcerated. It's up to him even as its up to you. Right now, we have half a dozen ships destroyed and crews in jeopardy. Omega and Xantium Supreme are in a race to see who breaks more things than the other. I don't have to tell you what that means. Xantium has destroyed a number of battleships with his bare servos while in root mode. Omega joined him and the race is on." Prowl grinned slightly, a sight without humor or warmth. "Brotherly rivalry is an interesting thing."

Rabid considered that. "Where will we go from here if I cooperate?"

"You get a safe place to sit and think over the waywardness of your life and your people get to live. We have lock ups on Cybertron, the local group and our redoubt on Mars in the system ahead. Choose wisely. We can just as easily take everything apart without a care. We're trying to save you and your crews. Be responsible and bow to the inevitable."

"You, pretending to care," Rabid said as he did the math and decided that discretion was the better part of valor when it came to the crews of his ships. He wasn't a terrible person, just an ambitious and loyal one. It was his job to manage the crews and ship commanders in the armada and he did it with genuine regard for all of them. In return, even the most hardened crew and commander respected him even if they didn't care for him personally. Few Decepticons did. That was the way of their cause.

"Amusing isn't it?" Prowl replied with a genuinely ruthless expression of non amusement.

Rabid stared at him, then stood. "Let me tell you something, *Prowl*. I do care about the crews. I care about their lives. It was my job as second-in-command to take care of them and their welfare. Frag you and the Prime. The only reason you will get anything from me is that simple fact … unlike you, I do care about them."

"Prove it, slagger," Prowl said equally coldly.

The room was glacial as the security mechs watched tensed and ready to shoot. Then Rabid subbed a data wafer, holding it out to Prowl. "Here you go, fragger. You better get them all."

"We will," Prowl said as he scanned the disk from a distance. It was a list of the armada, ships compliments of crew and their commanders. It curdled him a tiny bit at the number of vessels but he nodded curtly and walked out with it.

Rabid watched him go, then glanced at the others. "Tell me, if any of you can, the difference between that ice cube and any Decepticon commander you can name?"

Windy who was in charge of this security detail gestured for the door. This mech had surprised him with his humanity but he was headed for the hoosegow right now. "You don't have enough joors in the orn, slagger. Let's go."

They walked out to the lock up together.

=0=Top deck

Prowl walked out stewing on the insults and the comments delivered by Rabid. That was then, this was now. His regard was so deep and wide he could barely manage some orns but this wasn't one of them. He was grimly satisfied with the information in his hand. He walked to Prime, then turned to him. "Rabid was forthcoming."

"What's the picture, Prowl?" Prime asked as everyone including the humans listened tensely.

"We are facing minus those confirmed kills seven battleships, eight cruisers, three fighter transports which are large, not mid nor small range, 13 battle shuttles and 14 mid to small range shuttle sized fighters."

It was quiet in the room for a moment as everyone watched Prime mull that news over.

=0=TBC 2-23-19 2-24-19