The Diego Diaries: Seekin' (dd8 379) Didn't have time to edit. Will in the morning. Hugs!
=0=Out there, hunting
They flew in a tight formation, a large contingent of Seekers about 40 strong. Led by Red Wing, they blasted ahead of the force to find either the fleeing Seekers or some idea of what lay ahead. Data mechs flew with heavy weapons Seekers heading for the lights that were beginning to show up on their scans. A large contingent of individual dots on their internal data screens came into being at the far end of their reach. Whether they were being followed was anyone's guess but all expected it.
Red Wing prepared to messages. One he sent to Prime. The other he sent to the group heading their way at top speed. It would be a foot race to get to them before whatever might be following caught them first.
=0=On their way in the wake
They flew swiftly together heading out toward the signal once they bridged via ship into the area. Shuttles slid out of the holds of the big ships as they headed into formation to find their endangered colleagues. It would take a while to catch up with the Seekers who were already way ahead of their position.
"We have a message from Red Wing," Turbine said as he peered over the Communications officer's shoulder. "Picking up signals, individuals, a lot of them. Follow at this mark." He turned toward Prime and gave him the coordinates.
Prime glanced at the pilots and navigator. "Take us that way."
They programmed the data, then away they flew heading toward a collision course with the Decepticons if all things held.
=0=Watching the show
The newbie generals were relaxed in their seats, buckled in against any action that might come. The rest of the group was relaxing as well, chatting together about what they could glean about the mission.
"And that's why Rainmaker and Prime are so pissed. My bet is Ominous is deflecting the messages. It makes you wonder how many he has," Epps said grimly.
"It's Prime's worst nightmare, the idea that he might miss someone," Lennox said. "I think Ominous just wore out his welcome." He glanced at Prime who was brooding grimly in the command seat. "I wouldn't want to be his ass when Prime comes for him. He lost the last encounter badly."
"I don't know that we have the space to house that many prisoners," Niall Graham mused. "He's either going to have to drive them away, blow up a lot of them or get surrenders. Doesn't Ominous have over 100,000 soldiers?"
"I think so. I believe he came with about 75,000 himself," Epps replied.
The doors opened at the elevator as mechs and the odd femme came and went. The conversation over the line to other ships and the shuttles could be heard softly in the background. Apparently, the only thing on anyone's mind was beating the enemy to the Seekers. It would be a massive catastrophe if they didn't get there first. The Decepticons shot defectors often on the spot.
=0=On a shuttle
"What's the odds, Chief?" a youngling mech asked as he lounged next to Bezel and Lon. He was a new recovery to the colony but a long time soldier even for his age. He'd passed muster, learned their rules and was on a shuttle to see how he would do. You never knew until you did.
"Good," Springer replied as he flipped a knife in his servo. "I don't expect the 'Cons to let them go. Any Seeker they can get back or kill is a win-win for them. It gives us an edge to have an air game."
Hercy who was on a screen nearby sitting beside a pensive Kup nodded. "They don't want them but they won't and can't let us have them."
"They're good warriors," the kid said.
"But undependable. Rainmaker made that so. No Seeker with a shred of self respect will refuse his call. There's going to be elders and kids. Even babies. We have to do better than our best," Kup said as Hercy nodded. "We can't allow kids to get hurt. That's our job." He stuck the cygar into his mouth and fell back into silence as on about ten battle shuttles mechs and femmes grinned.
The Tao of Kup strikes again.
=0=Ahead of everyone
They flew onward closing the distance when a message returned to Red Wing.
"They're closing on us. Where are you?"
Red Wing forwarded it to Prime and turned on the gas, pressing his group as strongly as he could to find the formation before the new blinking lights of Decepticon ships caught them. They flashed into the darkness and were lost from sight.
=0=Prowl
He received the message, then turned to Optimus. "A new message. They're getting caught up. We have to move."
Prime stood, then walked to Communications. "Prime to shuttles."
:Springer here:
:Hercy here:
They checked in swiftly.
"We're leaving you. No time to return to the holds. The flight is losing the foot race. Catch up as fast as you can. Prime out," he said, then turned to the table and the pensive officers standing or sitting there. "Take us to them. We have to go now."
Tennyson plugged in, then his voice was heard echoing metallically around the ship. "Titan group, prepare to bridge at my command. Signal receipt."
Pings came in from the Supremes and the titans with the battle group over which Tennyson had practical command as senior ship present. He glanced at Prowl. "Coordinates?"
Prowl sent them to Tennyson who plugged them in.
"Stand by on my mark," he said as his deep voice echoed across all of the decks of the ship. "We are go."
With that, a good dozen big ships disappeared leaving behind them ten battle shuttles flying as fast as they could to catch up. It would take all the speed they had to do so.
=0=In pursuit
A large battle group had been patrolling around the edge of known space when a trader mentioned that he'd seen metallics like them passing a nebula. Given the coordinates, they flew off to investigate given that the description of the metallics had been that of Seekers. Since the order had been given and the temperament of the Cause had taken a dark turn, the order to kill Seekers on sight was still in effect. It wasn't going to ensure anyone's longevity under the new management Megatron had arranged to ignore any of them. The punishment was swift when you did.
They pressed onward picking up the trail of a large group, perhaps in the thousands.
All over the Empire when the message from Starscream, Starscream and Prime and finally Starscream and Rainmaker, the Seekers had listened. The moment they did they vanished like smoke in the wind. Some of them fled directly and made it apparently, those in the earlier orns of Prime's burgeoning dominion. Then the new management came and the loopholes were closed given the swiftness and brutality of punishment if they didn't.
Seekers were hidden in a lot of places and they were good at it. Millions of them were left to their own devices and some had networked with the Circle and Knights. They were trapped where they were but their plight was out. Many were the mechs and femmes all over the rescue universe who were working to get them to safety and Mars.
Pushed to the margins, they made do in terrible places, their young mechs and adult males flying long distances to probe the net around them and to bring food to their tiring populations. Given that in this group two bonds of a Clan Chieftain and two important Clan Elders were present, discipline was maintained among the growing restlessness of the younger mechs.
They flew onward through the darkness of space entering territory that had no place for them to hide. It was a desperate run toward safety and the growing hope that the message they got from Red Wing would mean rescue. Elders flew inside the protected space of younger mechs and femmes while children lay in holds exhausted from travel and the nervous tension of their families. They had to reach freedom and safety eventually.
Right?
A tight formation of very colorful metallic aliens raced against a horde following them with malice and a blast to the skull if they weren't assisted soon.
They disappeared into the darkness but were never at any point now off the radar of those following them.
=0=Burst of light
They came into being together in a sector of space that appeared to be cleared of any obstructions or debris as far as their sensors could detect. Yet in the middle of this vast wasteland a mass of lighted dots was pressing their way. Behind them were those that indicated ships of the line and battle shuttles in hot pursuit.
Prime glanced at Tactical. "What can you ascertain, Jack?" he asked.
Blackjack the Elder was concentrating on visual and audial data. He glanced at Prime. "We have a short window before they come together. We better get on it."
Prime sat back down. "Open a channel, Blaster, to the armada following. Hurry."
Blaster's digits flew over the keyboard, then he glanced at Prime. "Its open."
"This is Optimus Prime and I am calling to the armada following the Seeker flight. Speak to me now."
It was silent a moment then a deep guttural voice could be heard. "Prime. You're out of your depth here."
"Send them our signatures," Prime said curtly.
Blaster did.
It was silent then the voice was back. "Well, maybe not that deeply out of your depth. What are you doing here, Prime. We have a mission and won't be deterred."
"Let the group go. There are children, babies and elders there. We are taking them with us to safety," Prime replied.
It was silent.
=0=At the lead of the group
The leadership was dividing up the possibilities for some of them to escape. They were unaware of the conversations going on so they did what they feared they would always have to do. They divided up the group with their best warriors forming along the outer edge. Inside their protection the vulnerable were herded. In seconds they would split up, each leader taking one third of the migration in three different directions in the desperate hope that some would live. The leadership themselves would be remaining behind them to fight. There was almost no strength left among any of them to do so but the leadership was responsible and they took their burdens on. If someone made it away then it would be worth it.
=0=Tennyson flight deck
They waited for the word from the armada, then saw it speed up as the lights of the Seekers broke into three different directions. Among them were a large number of what Prime knew were warriors who began to slow down to fight off their pursuers.
It was at that moment that Rainmaker released the 200 Seekers that had come along with them after a short off line chat with Prime. Out of the doors of the big ships Seekers swarmed. Gathering up, they flew into the night with Warlord leading them. His flames were the last view of them as the darkness swallowed them up.
=0=On the way as well
"Step on it, Rem. We're losing the narrative here," Springer said grimly as ten battle shuttles flashed onward.
It would be a grim group that followed their fleets ion trail toward who knew what. They disappeared into the darkness, too.
=0=TBC 3-2-2022
Happy Birthday, Johnny, my little brother. Love you madly.
wake: the turmoil left by a boat when it passes in water. The faster the boat, the bigger and more tumultuous the wake.
