The Diego Diaries: Gathering (dd8 346)

=0=Out in the one blind spot in Prime's armor

They gathered together, three captains who came alone. One of them was Paladin. Another was Ominous and the last to arrive was Razorclaw. The lowest band and the shortest burst of information had let to this meet up on a barren icy planetoid floating aimlessly through space. Arriving on small runabout ships that had been allowed to roam thus far in Prime's deeply accurate and ultimately overawing sensor grid, the three stood apart from the other taking the measure of each.

All of them were seasoned warriors and had oceans of cred behind them. Criminals to start with, some of them, they all carried that designation now. They'd left Megatron behind when he went away. They had been oddly offended when he decimated his troops, some of them friends and colleagues of many a rough and tumble offensive. It had been surprising to some but not to those who knew them.

Razorclaw had brothers and even though they had nothing in common besides the gestalt, they were still brothers. Some of them didn't care to combine and others did. Razorclaw who was the brains and strategic center of all of them had learned patience and manipulation from their slightly unstable company in their joint venture. He could make them combine together and when they did they loved it. The combiner Predaking was the most perfect mechanism of its type ever created. It was magnificent and flawless. Only when it was apart was it less than ideal.

Ominous was a big mech with a lot of smarts. He was strategic, loved to read and listened to good music. He was a historian of warfare Cybertronian-style and could show anyone who asked any battle that happened in the war, its good and bad points and how it could have been better. He was also patient, gathering together transient warriors to build up his arsenal.

None of them were unaware that the odds were enormously against them even if combined. But being combined was better than going it alone. Neither Razorclaw nor Ominous were ready to tell Paladin about the visit that Prime had paid to them some time before. That they kept to themselves.

Paladin had stepped down from his little vessel, taking in the two formidable mechs standing nearby. They were big individuals, bigger than he remembered but he, himself was no slouch. He verged like them onto a primal frame, strong beyond the ordinary and filled with endurance. He'd been a longshoreman like Prime who he knew marginally and saw more often in the distance of the dock lands.

He could probably go toe-to-toe with Prime though the outcome was uncertain to him. He knew he could take Ominous in the long run but Razorclaw was out of his league. He was mech enough to acknowledge that but only to himself.

He walked toward them, pausing close enough but not too close. "I'm Paladin."

"Razorclaw," he said with a calm rather nice sounding voice. It could be harsh it was said but in normal conversation it was rather mellow. "This is Ominous. We hold territories inside Prime's domain. He tolerates us at the moment."

Paladin nodded, then smirked faintly. "I visited him shortly ago."

"I imagine that didn't go too well," Ominous said with a genuine grin.

"No," Paladin replied. "It was interesting but inconclusive."

"You got smoked," Razorclaw replied.

"I wouldn't go quite that far," Paladin replied. "It was quite a show he's made for himself. I was unaware that there were titans there or I would have approached the problem differently."

"There's no way to topple Prime as of yet," Ominous said. "He's got both Cybertron and this city complex. He's got us on the grid and can see out at least 290,000 light years to a very remarkable resolution. We live here on sufferance."

"I was wondering about that," Paladin said. "Why does he allow it?"

"A lot of reasons," Razorclaw said. "If he strikes us we split up like bowls. We can go anywhere and everywhere fast and he has to defend an organic planet that's next to his own, the one he calls Mars. If he wants to take us out he will have to strike all of us at the same time and nail us all down at once."

"You don't think he can do that?" Paladin asked unaware that Prime already had.

Razorclaw glanced at Ominous, then stepped closer to Paladin. "Anything is possible. He has so many titans it's changed the odds. He also maintains a demilitarized zone with my base that's manned by titans and dreadnoughts. They're spark bound to serve him. They will with their lives."

Paladin considered that. "That does make things more problematic. What are the odds of making it to Cybertron?"

They stared at him silently.

"The rebuild there has built oceans of goodwill for Prime. If you're looking for allies on world they might be thin on the ground. There's more titans there than anywhere else even during the Golden Age. Prime has called them and Metroplex commands them. Metroplex and Fort Max are the main supports of the downtown of Prime's main city, Autobot City. Getting there without authorization, getting through the security net of the local group to reach Cybertron is a totally unique prospect," Razorclaw said.

Paladin nodded. "Tell me more," he said.

=0=Mars

Ratchet drove to Unidad to do his local check in. He was curious about the situation given that several of the afore named scoundrels from the Panama Papers financial crimes scandal currently raging on Earth lived there. It would be interesting to see how that was going. Right now the biggest buzz was the wedding of Sam and Carly in two orns and the first basketball game of the season in the arenas in Retriades.

He had decided to start simple with his cheer gear to build to a rampaging finale. He found the sort of thing that expressed his Iacon fanaticism while ticking off every box that Prowl had. Pressing all of his endless buttons was one of life's little pleasures.

It was also going to be fun that the littlest kids would be staying in the daycare at The Fortress until the game was over, them boys could get them and all would be well again.

The Squad was going on the town.

=0=Earlier

:Ironhide:

:What?:

:Where are you and where is Halo?:

:I'm on Cybertron helping bail out a hole filled with water and solvents. Halo is in school. WHAT THE FRAG, OLD MECH!:

:Ironhide:

[Pause]

:WHAT!?:

:Have you slaggers been practicing for the game First Friday?:

:I, IRONHIDE CANNOT TELL A LIE! YES! Why?:

:Well, I have a nice progression of cheer gear to lather up Prowl and we're going on the town that night, me and the boys. And the girl, too. Joony:

:You and the SKWAD!?:

:Sure, baby: Ratchet said as he laughed loudly.

Ironhide snickered as he passed a bucket upward to the temporary lagoon which was getting the toxic liquid until it was transported off to denature. He handed up a full bucket and passed down an empty one, fulfilling his part in the line.

Prime was standing on the top of the crater pulling the heavy buckets up.

Rockwell of all individuals was pouring them into the lagoon.

:So you're going to get arrested are ya?:

:I plan to. I don't know about the rest. I made reservations for the kids in the daycare at The Fortress. The little ones. Everyone else will come and be cared for by the elders during the game. Then they're yours. Why not tie one on at the hotel with the boys and leave the kids at the center? You can have room service, tear the place up and have the adjoining cell next to us. I intend to provoke high castes during our pub crawl. Its been a while and skills get rusty if you don't use them:

Ironhide grinned. Old Mech probably meant it. :Sounds good. Call me if ya do:

:I will. I have a few hard helms come into the Med Center and expect concierge service:

:I AM IRONHIDE! I EXPECT CONCIERGE SERVICE, TOO!:

Ratchet snickered. :Ironhide, get me a sandwich:

:In a moment. I'm in a bucket line: Ironhide replied with a snicker of his own. :See ya:

:See ya, Ironhide. Heave ho. I'm going to shoot a round of golf, then get liquored up early: Ratchet said to get his goat.

:Frag. Lets play golf this weekend: Ironhide said. :I have to get my time in on the links:

:Done deal. Ratchet out, big boy:

Ironhide grinned. "I am."

"Am what?" Raptor asked as he handed a bucket to Ironhide and took an empty from him.

"A BIG BOY! I, IRONHIDE AM A BIG BOY!" Ironhide bellowed with a cute grin on his little pug face.

His elders who were working with him grinned. He was.

All of it.

Ratchet reached Unidad, parked, then appeared outside the door as a good looking powerfully built man with red hair. Really fire engine red hair. A tiny Autobrand was on his cheek and his eyes were an intense but amused blue. Dressed simply in jeans and a sweater, he walked inside the environmental door from the broad parking lot. He waited to be let inside at the human door, slapped palms with several of the security humans, then headed for the administrative part of Unidad, the City Hall in town.

The facility was humming as he walked along, reaching the City Hall after a bit. Entering, he grinned. "HELLO! I'M HERE! HIDE YOUR GIRLIE MAGAZINES AND BEER!"

He was mobbed by the worker bees, then continued onward to Carly's big top floor office. He rapped on the door to catch her attention. "Hello."

She jumped up and ran around her big desk to hug him. "RATCHET! Come in and sit."

He did and she did. Then they grinned at each other.

"So are you ready for the wedding in two days?" Ratchet asked.

"Over due to tell you the truth. I can't wait for it to be over. Everyone is making it such a big deal. We should have stopped at the Praxian ceremony," Carly said.

"It's a good one, that ceremony," Ratchet replied. "Old mech gave up his cod piece to his elders. What about the two of you?"

"I love the idea. My family and Sam's are great. Besides, having Optimus marry us is couples goals," Carly said with a grin.

"Where's the honeymoon?" Ratchet asked as he settled into the big comfy chair in front of her desk, the one Sam moved into the office for comfort when both worked late.

"We thought about Earth. I don't want the attention. We're going to the hotel out on the TransWorld Highway for a couple of days, then come back and put things off until we can spend some time at Prima Station. That's when the honeymoon will happen," Carly said.

"Sounds good. What about the three conferences? Are they go?" Ratchet asked.

"They are. I'll send final preps to you at State," Carly said.

"What about our resident tax cheats? Anything new to add?" Ratchet asked.

"They're laying low in the tall grass as someone told me. We're keeping our eyes on them. All Optimus has to do is tell us what he wants. We're not going to be a stumbling block toward settling this," Carly said.

"Good thing," Ratchet said. "While they're here, given their immigrant status and the nature of their work visas, they're subject to his control in all things."

Carly nodded. "I'm glad he's got this. By the way, someone who isn't named Alor told me that you're taking the squad for a pub crawl. Want company?"

"You mean … like a girls wedding thing where everyone goes out, gets laid, gets arrested, arrives at the wedding with their panties on their heads … like that?" Ratchet asked with a giant smile. "I watch chick flicks when I'm drunk enough. It annoys Ironhide."

Carly snickered. "I think you hit the nail on the head."

A girl's squad would follow the boy's squad. It would be a thing.

=0=TBC 01-17-2022