The Diego Diaries: "There's combat in the system." (dd8 297)

=0=The Fortress, Autobot City, Postal Code 1

Alor worked feverishly as all around the inside of the building heavily armed guards were holding off a lot of enemy who were doing their best to enter. The building was taking rounds which slammed against its thick stone and cybertanium reinforced walls.

He glanced at the doors nearby where he could see heavily armed soldiers firing through what would be called 'arrow slits' on a castle, narrow windows that allowed fire out but made it coming in problematic. Heavy steel plates covered them ordinarily when they weren't needed like now.

Outside on the airfield, the Decepticons had taken over the space and parked on it were shuttles and fighters organizing to go to different places to fight and drop invading soldiers. The hangar district had been overrun and the businesses and habitats along Cultural Center Road were being probed as groups of soldiers entered, checked things out, then moved swiftly onward into The City.

Groups of mechs were heading for Aerie Hill only to be turned back by fiery flights of Seekers blowing them up or harrying them back to the safety of numbers at the field. The Municipal Airport was overrun, N.E.S.T. was being entered but the Hu-An Habitat was holding its own.

As all of this happened, down the road ran Grimlock and his squad. They transformed into Dinobot mode then charged into groups that were trying to secure the commercial shipping district that was part of the airfield. It was astonishing the sound and fury of the mechanisms as they charged into the mass of ships and shipping that was stacked highly around the area. It was either outgoing or incoming freight waiting to be transferred by workers that now were below ground listening to the chaos overhead.

The Dinobots would fuck them up good.

=0=Combat

It was a strange thing, the distortions of combat. Time sped up, then slowed, stopped, then fast forwarded. As things blew up, as chips from missed shots took out edging and the smoothness of walls where they landed, the sounds and fury of battle raged madly about them.

Jetta and Elita were shooting around a corner at three 'Cons who were making their way forward, heading toward the heart of Terra and the housing districts there. Small pocket parks for children became battle fields for Elita, Magnus, Arcee and Jetta as they fell back to the group who was waiting.

Company 10 had managed to halt the forward momentum of half the foot soldiers who were attacking them, then everyone halted as the enemy armada began to float overhead moving toward what could only be the Park Cities.

:Jetta to Alor or Prowl:

:Prowl here:

:The fleet is heading for the Park Cities. What's the plan?:

:The plan is let them. When they get into open territory the titans are going to let them have it. Get everyone into the city. Don't let them go out onto the highways. Everyone has to stay off the highways: Prowl said in a stern slightly anxious voice. :We're going to shoot them down:

:Understood: Jetta said. He glanced at the others. :Everyone fall back. The armada is going to get theirs when they get to open terrain. NO one can be on the highways: he said to the group through the open channel for combat.

The entire group faded into the background, disappearing into the city to hide.

The 'Cons who were fighting them stepped out warily, heading forward into the city. As they did the armada moved onward heading toward the Park Cities. They had to cross over a number of other habitation zones to get there but soon enough they'd be flying over unoccupied or lightly developed land. Only then could the colony get the upper hand without destroying itself in the process.

=0=E2

They sat on couches in a lounge near the kitchen area of the shelter. It was mostly silent and terrifying though they made effort not to show it.

Clare Hilliard-Barnard stared at the security forces who were placed near the entrance with heavy arms. A lot of them were human and some were bots who ran this facility or were soldiers and workers here. She felt intense frustration and a bit claustrophobic as she watched them. Glancing at Harris, she sat forward to speak in a soft voice. "What's going to happen here? We came back to die in this shit?"

Owen who was stewing in his own juices glanced at her. "We're going to live through this. You might not like it and you might not like the bots but understand and let me make this clear. They're fighting for their families, children and grandchildren. They're not going to lose."

"So you say," Cossimo Rossi said in his silken voice. "I should have stayed on Earth."

"To be arrested?" Michael Pare asked.

"They'd have to extradite me from Italy and that would never happen. Too many people owe me too many favors," Cossimo said.

"I don't think that matters anymore," William Pearl said. "I think the jig is up and its everyone for themselves."

It was silent a moment, then a huge thud could be heard overhead. Everyone below jumped and children began to cry.

Clare Hilliard-Barnard frowned. "I wish they'd shut those kids up. This is bad enough."

"Yes," Owen replied with a hard edge to his voice. "Shut up, kids and suffer your fears silently. Clare has spoken."

It would be a very tense, very silent group staring from time to time at the ceiling as the chaos of battle continued above them.

=0=The Industrial Park Cities

They watched as a huge armada began to come toward them. Shedding fighters and the odd blast of mechs repelling down from shuttles, the big black ships were heading their way.

Springer and Drift stood at the gates with their horses ground hitched nearby. They were among the few here on the ground as most of the fleet was still flying madly back to Mars. The destruction of the Triggers and the control facilities of the Autobot City Space Bridge rendering it useless had captured most of the mechs who rode and fought with them on the other side of the solar system.

Overhead, the buzz of Seekers and the fighting of Autobot shuttles and fighters could easily be seen. They watched it with foreboding after retreating to this place which was the golden ticket for the invaders. This was the heart of the colony where the energon that was their life blood and central to all they did was made, stored and dispersed. The titans would be in trouble without it and so would everything and everyone, everywhere.

"When is the fleet suppose to get here?" Drift asked as he glanced at Springer.

"Prowl told me that they're nearing Saturn," Springer replied.

Drift nodded. "Forty-five minutes at the least then. We got caught flat footed."

Springer nodded. "Prime's going to be fully fragged off at himself."

"We can't let him. Sensei is a genius but he isn't infallible," Drift said. "We can't stop these fraggers. We also can't be caught fighting in the same area." He glanced at Springer. "We agreed to split up in a stand."

Springer nodded. "I know. Something tells me that when they get cleared of the Crater Districts its going to be a moot point."

Drift nodded as he watched the armada approach the area where the Crater Districts were located in a curved line along the farthest defensible edge of the inhabited area. It would be a very complicated thing, the proper time to shoot at them. They were strung out, Paladin's armada. Some would be nearing the Park Cities while others would just be clearing the Crater Districts. He hoped they wouldn't halt or retreat over them when they were fired on.

It was a tense crap shoot, this part of the defense of Mars.

=0=Unidad

They entered through the environmental system and began to move into the habitat. Walking slowly, poking into this and that, they walked down the Farm Road to the domed area itself. There were about twelve of them, all heavily armed and they looked like a road rage gang. It was likely that they were or members of several different ones. Their conduct didn't allow for respect for anything they were seeing around them.

They paused as they saw the Chapel in the Woods, its soaring grace and beauty fully enrobed in trees and bushes. They stared for a moment, then a mech opened fire on it. The windows shattered all the way up to the rooftop, then fell to the ground 200 feet below in a clatter of glass and steel framing. He laughed a moment, then they moved onward.

The road they were taking would bring them to the dairy and the paddocks of the now 15 terran horses that lived here. The dairy cows and their nearly yearling calves were in a far off pasture along with the sheep, miniature horses and goats. Chickens and ducks along with three turkeys and five peacocks would be roaming about the 'front pasture', the one nearest to the barns where the pregnant cows were grazing and lying around. Three bulls, one that was boss hog would be grazing and relaxing with them.

They disappeared into the green tree lined distance as they continued onward in a very, very perplexing place to all of them.

=0=Down below

Carly huddled with bot and human security who worked and/or lived here. They saw the mechs enter, then destroy the church before heading toward what they knew were the pastures and paddocks of the animals. She didn't say a word. Everyone with her felt the same way. Taking her handheld from her pocket, she commed The Fortress in a turmoil of desperation. "Alor? This is Carly at Unidad if you can answer."

:Alor here. What's happening, Carly?: Alor's calm voice replied. It didn't reflect the full on assault currently underway at The Fortress.

"We have a dozen or so mechs inside and they shot up the chapel. They're heading toward the dairy and the animals. Most of the cows are in the far pastures but the bulls and pregnant cows are by the barns. The horses and a lot of the birds are there, too. What do you advise?" Carly asked forlornly.

It was a moment before Alor responded. :I talked with Prime. Don't do anything. We're sending a squad to deal with it. I can't guarantee that they'll arrive in time but they're coming, Carly. Best I can do, honey:

"Thank you, Alie. I love you," she said with feeling.

:I love ya back. Alor out: he said as he crouched by the doors of The Fortress in the Rec Room. The pounding on the heavy steel doors which were ten feet thick with hidden hinges was growing by the moment.

=0=Prime's shipping

Ironhide got off the comm line with Alor. "The slaggers penetrated Unidad and are heading for the farm animals. I sent a squad to intercept. Apparently they're in all the habitats including Sciences and the Consulate. N.E.S.T. has been demolished, apparently, as far as Ada can tell but the Hu-An are holding out."

"We need to send them relief," Prime said with grim tension in his voice. "We have to protect them."

"They've dropped three groups by themselves. Right now, the Dinobots are blocking access to them on Cultural Center Road. The slaggers are double backing to head toward The Fortress where a full on assault is underway. I redirected fighters to that place and sent two companies of soldiers there through the bridges."

"Good," Prime said with relief. "When will the rest of the battle group get here?"

"They just passed Saturn and will be here in 35 minutes at best," Turbine said.

"They can't come soon enough. What is the situation with the armada clearing the habitations?" Prime asked.

"The forward edge is cleared and they have two thirds of their group left. They're stretched out so it might mean trouble with those at the end. I don't know yet," Ironhide said as Blackjack nodded. "We'll let you know the moment they're in the clear zone. We can improvise those that are in a position to change their directions."

Prime nodded. "Very well, Ironhide."

It was tense as Prime continued with Turbine on his ship and Prowl on another to direct the fighting below.

=0=Unidad

The Autobot squad reached the habitat and jumped through the holes in the plated windows to enter the monster sized facility. Running for Farm Road, directed by the maps from the Emergency Command Center, itself under siege at the moment, a squad of Autobot soldiers ran swiftly for the habitat itself and the farm animals that had no idea what was coming toward them.

=0=TBC 11-7-2021 11-8-2021

NOTE:

Every time I've heard an Italian man speak English it was a beautiful thing to hear. Just saying. Also French men. Dutch is nice and so is Spanish. Irish is beautiful. Suffice it to say, I love to hear native speakers talk both in their languages and English. Its such an amazing thing, diversity. I love it. Its one of the most interesting things about humans. Did I mention Arabic? That's such a rich sound, like different Chinese dialects. Russian. Japanese. Mongolian. :D:D:D