The Diego Diaries: Avalone (dd8 268)
=0=Out there
"Commander?"
Everyone turned toward a Home Guardsman who had managed to find their way to this spot. He held a data pad out to Prowl. "We scanned the two Decepticon bases, Commander. We also found this."
Prowl read it then frowned. Deeply. On the screen sightings of others were to be had hidden here and there in the local area. It had to be pirates or scavengers. How long they'd been here and how much had been carted away was unknown. He did, however, know he had to find out. Having their tech compromised was a dangerous proposition given most looters having no scruples selling it to whoever could meet the price, including the Decepticons.
"What does it say?" Prime asked.
"We have others. It would account for these," Prowl said pointing to the images of tracks on the ground and the trail of wheels leading to a space nearby that a ship had settled. "We have to find them and take whatever it is they scavenged. No one else needs to profit off us or Avalone."
"Prime to Raptor."
:Raptor here:
"Please come to my position."
:On my way:
Prime glanced at the images of a clearing nearby where a ship had settled, one that was large and had rather archaic features that left scorch marks on the ground from its engines. "We have to build a defensive perimeter around this entire area and train sensors all around, especially toward the Decepticon bases. Until we know the size of their threat this will be problematic. I want to know more about this area. If there is a base here, there are bases elsewhere, Prowl."
Prowl nodded. "I agree. Prowl to Rainmaker and Starscream. Where are you?"
:Rainmaker. We're on Tennyson:
"Wait there please. I'm in need of information,"Prowl said as he squeezed Prime's arm gently. He left swiftly.
Raptor nearly materialized at Prime's elbow followed by Ironhide, Blackjack and Sun. "What do you need, Prime? It'll be done."
They conferred together making a plan to track the intruders and find their base. It had to be close enough for them to slip in and do what they did, then slip out again. It was also debatable and perhaps a tell that the Decepticons weren't here. None of the tracks and marks in the images on the data pad had a Cybertronian feature, at least not of reasonably current tech. This looked like alien equipment to the bots.
Then Raptor and the mechs with him walked off to do battle with an unknown intruder. While that was happening, Rainmaker and Starscream would plan to scan discreetly the entire area with emphasis on hidden bases and the Decepticons in the distance. That information would be relayed to Raptor and he would figure out how to interdict the aliens and try to prevent the Decepticons from knowing they were here.
While they did that, Prime walked to the command chair nearby and sat down. All around him was destruction and damaged drones. It would take a lot of work to make this ship capable of being lifted and towed toward home.
=0=On the way to Tennyson
Raptor flew the runabout toward the massive ship nearby. All around them were massive ships and smaller ones including fighters and shuttles that were fierce weapons in the right servos. Supremes held their place in the armada alongside dreadnoughts. It was a dazzling sight for sore optics. "I never thought I'd live to see the orn when the battle for equipment and ships would be in our favor."
Sun grinned as he sat on a seat by a bulkhead. "You never had to do it by hand. I remember having to make weapons out of scrap metal, sharpening them in the basements of factories, then stockpiling them in corners and abandoned buildings. We didn't have guns until we stole them from arsenals by taking pieces from them where they wouldn't be noticed as fast and stockpiling them. We put them together when we had all the parts."
"That's fragged," Ironhide said as the old feelings of hurt and fury crept up on him. The idea of his elders being enslaved, afraid, abused, confused or uneducated about the world around them haunted his recharge. They were the opposite to him, the most knowledgeable and dynamic individuals he knew. There wasn't a thing he could ask of them that they couldn't answer.
Or do.
"It was what it was," Raptor said. He glanced at his Uncle Sun, someone he remembered as a child before things got fragged and the endless unstoppable slide toward chaos and anarchy began. They would have a hard time seeing each other when that began.
"It was. It made us tough, resourceful and smart. We can make things out of nothing and it made the Immortals the force they were. The Elites were an inevitable outcome of that. We gathered in Praxus to get more education. The learning and data centers were there and from that grew the reputation Praxus had for universities and learning."
Sun grinned. "Some of it was fun. Kicking Sentinel's great grand genitors in the slats was always fun."
"They lived down the road from us at the beach," Raptor said as he tried to remember times long past. "Almost all I can remember is that they didn't like me at all."
"You were a little hellion," Sun said with a chuckle.
"I was busy." Raptor grinned. "I was a good kid. I just was interested in things and busy. Sentinel's grandpa was a codger. Centennial hated me."
"Old Man Centennial didn't care and he did hate you, you little slagger. He chased you off every time you came close to his yard," Sun said with a chuckle. "Then he and Hardie got into a fist fight and that was that."
"A fist fight?" Ironhide asked with surprise. He glanced at his appa with even more awe than usual. "No one ever told me about that."
"You were pure. We didn't want to pollute you with the wicked ways of your grandpa," Sun replied.
Ironhide grinned. "I am pure aren't I. Tell me about the fist fight."
"Well, Centennial came out with a belt and began to swing it on you. I do believe he had cause but Hardie was outside and saw it. He believed Centennial should have called out to him to get Raptor but he didn't. He nearly got you, you hellion, but you were fast even as a pint sized little slagger," Sun said as he glanced at Raptor.
"He did," Raptor said as he waited to fly into the hangar deck of the dreadnought blotting out the view before them. Tankers heading toward Avalone on the ground had the right-of-way at the moment.
"Hardie jogged over and caught you, sending you onward to the house when Centennial swung the belt on him. Hardie caught it, then the battle was on. Centennial was no piker. Sentinel learned his slag from the poisoned knee of his appa who could fight well. But Hardie was furious and had the emotional upper hand. Centennial was one big fragger," Sun said as if reviewing a memory. "He beat Centennial up one side and down the other, then the police came and it was a mess."
"What happened?" Blackjack asked. "I've never heard this story either. You're holding out on us," he said as he glanced at his father.
"I was the cutest most helacious little kid that ever lived," Raptor said. "I got good grades in school, I did what I was supposed to do most of the time but I was also bad ass with lots of curiosity and no fear."
"You were and still are bad ass," Ironhide said with feeling.
Every elder on the ship grinned at Ironhide with deep and abiding affection.
"The cops came, they questioned everyone and it was a standoff who'd press charges, Centennial for trying to beat Raptor for being an aft or Hardie for defending Raptor from getting whipped. Actually," Sun said as he glanced at his nephew, "you would've deserved it. You did pick flowers from his bed. Centennial liked to enter his grounds in contests to see who had the best one. He loved to grow things, the maniacal slagger."
"Ada needed those flowers," Raptor said with a chuckle. "I wanted my ada to have a posie."
"You were grounded for a month and your atar's name was in the papers about beating Centennial into the ground. He decided to get ahead of the shame by making fifty copies of the story and tacking them up on bulletin boards all over Praxus like it was a great deed of valor. I have to say, Hardie didn't have to by a drink in bars for years following," Sun said with a chuckle.
They flew into the hangar and parked.
Raptor turned to them, then grinned. "My old pa is a stand up mech. He may look slim and easy but he isn't. He helped win Cybertron back from the slaggers each time they took it. Hard Drive of Praxus is a stand up mech."
There would be no arguments from anyone.
=0=Sitting in the fleet
Springer and Drift sat side-by-side chatting together off line as the shuttles waited to do whatever they had to. It was quiet on their vessel with the usual crew.
:I'm glad that Amma has Tell. He's doing really good:
:Ravie loves him and so do the others. Good thing that he feels good or this'd be awful. The treatments are doing well. They're going to take him to the Center tomorrow for his measurements. I hope he's not going to need another treatment. If he shows progress they're going to hold off until he slows or stops: Drift said with a slight edge of anxiety.
:I hope so, too. I feel better having him covered by them. Its a good place for him with them. They're going to take care of him so well: Springer agreed. :Corr and Chan are staying with the kids tonight, then they're going to put them into the Daycare at The Fortress at night and pick them up for breakfast in the morning. That's the best idea. They won't be too tired: Springer said.
:It might come to that with us: Drift replied.
:I know: Springer said with a nod.
It was silent between them a moment.
:I hate this: Springer said.
Drift nodded. :I know:
:Raptor to Springer:
"Springer here."
:We're going to pony up when the Seekers get back. Someone's here stealing tech from Avalone and we don't think its the 'Cons. That means we have to get it back or Magnus is going to go ballistic:
Springer grinned. "Tell us when and where."
:Stand by. We're waiting on the Seekers. Raptor out for now:
"Well, it looks like the fun is going to come," Springer said as he checked the rest of his squadron of five ships.
=0=On Tennyson waiting
"What if its a trader? How long have they been stealing and who's buying it if they sell it?" 'Jack said as he sat at the command table with the boys.
"We'll have to get their databases and translate them. The only ones we know with our tech are those slaggers in the Benzuli who bought it from the Functionalists," Sun replied. "It could be anywhere if they sell it. They might not. We might have a problem with a species and their empire acquiring tech to enter the big time."
"I hope not," Blackjack said. "That's going to frag Prime off."
The wait was short and the data came in, jetted toward the Tennyson by Red Wing and Warlord. The boys would take a while to go over it and make a plan.
=0=Out there
They flew into the hangar deck of Tennyson, then transformed to land in their usual classy manner of thundering thumps on the deck. Walking toward the elevator, the Seekers made their way inside to the huge main commissary that would be going all night and day long during the mission feeding thousands of mechs and femmes, soldier, civilian and Home Guard.
The elevator let them off at the deck that led to commissary 2. They entered the vast room, stood in line for food and drink, then walked to a table to sit and eat. They relaxed a moment.
"What do you think, Warlord?" a youngling Seeker asked. "Do we have an empire to worry about here?"
Warlord considered that, then shrugged. "I hope not. That's the last thing we need right now."
Everyone at the table agreed.
=0=TBC 10-01-20210
NIGHTY-NIGHT, DARLINKS!
ESL:
maniacal: (muh-nye-ik-l) crazy and out of control.
posie: (poh-zee) a small bouquet of flowers.
codger: (coh-jer) old fashioned word for a sour old man.