The Diego Diaries: Reset (dd6 601)
NOTE: I made a decision at the beginning to make a piece every day. If I miss a day, that's fatigue. If its two or more days, its a thing that came up that needs me to do something. Something did and now I'm back. I am committed (and should be) for this story. :D:D:D
=0=On the deck of Salton Sea
They watched as Phobos slid into view and Seekers along with small shuttles swarmed off the flight deck to enter into the vast field of battle. There were bits and pieces of ships floating around in the darkness among literally hundreds of individuals, most flailing but a disturbing number silent and stilled.
Will Lennox stared at Prime and Prowl who were conferring as nearby the missing senior Autobots began to walk from the elevators along with some of their crew. A battered but none too worse for wear Sun and Jack walked together, chuckling over something or other as Ironhide, Blackjack, Raptor and the twins followed. Nodding to Hardie who looked relieved to see them, they continued onward to Prime. Gathering around, they listened in as well.
"What we have to do is locate everyone. No one responded to the call yet, sir," Prowl said as he scanned his data pad. "It would seem that they want to slag it out or escape but we have both exit points blocked. I'm going to deploy Typhoon to the other side leading out to free space near this area," he said as he switched to the map being made before them on the forward view port. He touched his data pad and the area highlighted on the forward screen.
It showed the area from a star map that was basic as most were this far out and over that were being laid detailed local scans. It filled in copious amounts of vague information and imaging with details about what was actually before them. Up the Orion arm where the enemy had come were two free points where they could leave to enter free space. However, there were few places to go, so traveling down the arm this way was the only real decent option toward going to Cybertron, Mars or space that had possibilities for good habitation.
It was the reason Razorclaw and Ominous had come this way. There was no good reason but escape to go through the exit they were now blocking. In the end, it was the enemy's only option. This snake's head had to come off.
"Typhoon can deploy tracker missiles to anyone who wants to make a break for it that way," Prowl was saying. As he did, the tension on their exoskeletons began to subside. A titan was moving off from them and it cut their scanning of the nebula theoretically in half. "He can also scan the area here and here," Prowl said pointing to two blank-ish spaces in the line of escape for anyone who could find it.
"Have we located anyone yet?" Prime asked.
"We have the echoes of three of the battleships. The fighter carriers because they have high profile configurations have been mostly located here and over here," Prowl said pointing to other places on the map. "We've tagged the areas with sensors so its going to be hard for them to escape us. As for the battle shuttles … unless they group up we can't definitively locate them, their profile is so small by themselves in this environment that its probably going to be hunt and peck.
"The smaller shuttles, the mid-to-small range ones are the same way. We have 14 of them and 13 of the other to take care of from Pulsar combining with Shrike's group. All in all, its going to be a hard task ahead. If we take out the big stuff, the little ships will have a harder time running away. They won't have the resources of the bigger ones. There must also be support and fuel ships here. We have to take them out and then they're stuck."
Prime was silent as he considered their options. None of them were good. He glanced at Prowl. "I want the beta shuttle team here. Staff it with good pilots and commanders. I want to send all of them in as hunter teams led by you, gentlemen," Prime said to the elders of Ironhide's family and the big mech himself. "Bring in Dangerous. I want him to fill in with Tennyson and make it a roving scan. If they fill in a sector, then they move to another. The sooner we have a map the better."
Prowl nodded, then walked to Blaster to send the messages.
Prime turned to his team. "I am glad to see you all back. Are you accounted for?"
"We are, Prime," Sun said with a grin. "I see that there's still a few left to take apart."
Prime grinned at Sun. He was someone that Prime had met early on in his reign before he headed out to disappear into the Empire, a literate, cultured but boisterously outgoing individual whose teamwork with his brother, Jack was legendary. He had many a story and a beer with the two listening to 'the good old orns' and admired both greatly. "We need to organize this take down and do it with as little cost to our own side as possible. I will continuously broadcast my demand to surrender while that happens. General Hard Drive is working out the plans now for this venture."
"Then we better go check them out. Infant might need a tweak or two," Sun said with a grin.
Jack, Sun and Raptor walked to Tactical to help Hardie organize their offensive.
Sunstreaker watched him, then looked at the others. "A ship cut our shuttle in two pieces. The last thing I saw of Sun was him riding his gun into the darkness firing at the ship as it passed through."
Laughter greeted that as they stared at the big mechs discussing seriously and well the plan to step it up. Sitting nearby listening in, Will Lennox grinned. "I would have loved to see that sight. I would have and I wouldn't if you know what I mean."
The others nodded. They did.
So did the three reporters who made notes to interview everyone in the room after the mission was over.
=0=Earth2
They sat in the elegant formal dining room, a huge space designed for just such ventures and ate specially prepared food by their own chefs and those of The Resort. The conversation was animated and lots of phones took lots of pictures and selfies. They sat at tables arrayed informally so that the conversations would be diverse and many.
Listening with great interest, Owen Harris made a list of those he would personally target for support and business ties. They had some latitude inside the facility to do things they wanted as long as they weren't war related or environmentally destructive so he had ideas of his own.
Standing in the doorway nearby watching with his own list running, Commander Oscar Ortega considered the individuals inside. They were the richest people on Earth. There was estimated to be several trillion dollars worth of wealth distributed among them sitting here, adding up to nearly all the free money in the entire world. They were part of a small group that controlled or owned as much money as 94% of the lowest income people on Earth.
They were interesting as a group and unfortunately, some of them confirmed his own beliefs about their behavior and character. Some of them were the most arrogant and cocky people on Earth. They flaunted laws, bought governments and did as they pleased without penalty most of the time. Some were serious philanthropists but it was like his old grandpa used to say … behind every great fortune was a great crime.
Here, they were subject to his command. As leader of the onsite security team that answered to the bots and Springer, he led eight men and one woman enforcing with an even hand all the rules. For some of the local hotshots, it was an eye opener. He wondered if the experience would be that of these as well.
Another man walked up to stand beside him, Lt. Finn O'Malley who was his second. "Looks like the big shots are having a great time."
Ortega nodded. "I hope we do, too."
Both grinned.
"I hear ya," Finn said.
It would be an entertaining time listening to Owen and Kyle's speeches and the chitchat that followed. The tour of the facility would be entertaining as well. There would be a lot of questions about Unidad and none of the local leadership would be happy to hear them ask.
Apparently, habitat envy was a real thing.
=0=Waiting in the bow on The Salton Sea to go waltzing
"And that's pretty much how it happened," Sun said as Jack nodded in agreement. They were sitting with the others waiting for the beta shuttle squad to arrive. Hardie was nearby working on the plans but nodded and chuckled as Sun told the story of how he got his nickname. "You had to probably be there."
All of the younger set from the twins through Ironhide along with his atar and appas stared at Sun with an expression of respect that was almost comical. The soldiers who were listening as well were just as agog. Steiner who knew and was nearly there when it happened with the relief team chuckled. It was comical to watch the kids gape.
"It was a binary star, appa," Sideswipe said as he leaned forward in his earnest astonishment.
Sun who was lounging on the couches with the group in the forward section grinned. "Yes. Yes it was. Would have been easier to do if it wasn't but you can't choose when the slag hits the fan."
It was silent a moment, then Sunstreaker rose to walk to where Sun was lounging to perch next to him. "I'm sitting here."
Huge laughter was had.
Steiner grinned. "You were a force of nature, Ironhide. I was almost there to see the fun. You should have waited."
Sun aka Ironhide the Elder grinned. "We did but the stars had their own timetable." He glanced at Jack. "What about you telling them about that solar system, Blackjack?"
Everyone stiffened, then turned to Jack with surprise. He grinned. "It was … uh, a small solar system ..."
Sideswipe rose to walk to Jack, then sat. "I'm sitting with you."
Huge laughter arose as beyond the view port a large number of heavily armed shuttles began to slide into view. Beyond them, the number of free floating enemy soldiers was reduced drastically, pulled into shuttles after being picked up by Seekers. By the time the shuttle groups were leaving to go fight, the last few would be gathered up and things would be more normal. The rest of the salvaged survivors would be procured when teams went through the wreckage.
By then, The Salton Sea and Phobos would be heading after Xantium and Omega who were ahead of them involved in their own melees with gusto.
=0=In a box discussing stuff
"You think you have them figured out a bit, then this," Gavin Pritchard said as he watched the big mechs walk to the elevator to go to battle.
Lennox nodded. "If I hadn't seem Omega and Zee do that, I'd have a hard time believing it. But then, they have maximum flexibility in root mode. The ships they're breaking are static hulls and they can't react as well. The two know where the guns are and can avoid them. They have tons of experience and their functions are as guardians. Hugging a battleship or cruiser … that's as epic as it gets." He grinned. "Think about your grandpa or great grandpa being as epic as Ironhide's. That must be something."
"My grandpa was epic. He could lift an anvil off the ground and put it into the back of the hay wagon by himself," Gavin said as everyone murmured their admiration at that achievement. "But I don't see him this way. It must be something else to be a part of Ironhide's family."
"And Alor's. Steiner and Lissie are epic, too. Scout and Trooper crack me up," Epps said with a chuckle. "I think we need to write a book, all of us together. One chapter each. It would be a bestseller."
They all agreed. It would be.
=0=Outside
They took their places at the command of two shuttle hunting teams and acknowledged Prime and Hard Drive.
:Sun here. We're go, Prime. I have a bet with Jack and the infants. Whoever gets the most scores gets a ped rub from everyone else:
(Laughter) :Ironhide, here. We're go for the win:
:In your dreams, infant. Raptor, ready to go:
:Blackjack, the real winner here. We're go:
:Lissie here. Frag them. It's me that's going to bring home the bacon. We're go:
:Steiner here. Since I've already won, nothing more is necessary. We're go:
Jack the Elder checked in as well. :Frag you all. Go, Prime:
Huge hoo-haw filled the airwaves, then Prime grinned. "Then go, ladies and gentlemen. Go and come back."
They acknowledged, then away they went in teams.
Sunstreaker who was on the shuttle with Sun watching him stand by the forward view port looking for prey commed Sideswipe. :You there?:
Sideswipe who was with Blackjack the Elder replied. :I am. Take notes:
:I am: Sunstreaker said as the entire group faded into the darkness ahead and disappeared from view.
=0=TBC 2-26-19 edited 3-30-19
NOTE: I remember a shot in the War For Cybertron game where Omega floats in the air to stare into a deck level at everyone (regular bots) in root mode. He's so massive it makes them look like mice. Since these two can move like normal in root mode, they can either rip something apart with their bare hands or hug it tightly. Small ships like cruisers and shuttles don't have a chance against a Guardian mechanism of their age and experience. Battleships require more dismantling but the others break nicely. I love both of them. All of them, really. If they didn't really exist, I would have had to invent them. :D
Got your note, optimusprime101. Will read them tomorrow. Everyone else, replies to notes tomorrow. :D:D:D HIUGS!
For Tim, the light of my life. From Buddy, the girls and me. LV4EVRTRU