The Diego Diaries: Rescue (dd8 394)

NOTE: Sorry about last night. My chihuahua was sick. He has allergies that make him itch. It was a really long night. Now onward.

=0=Later that morning

Prowl watched Prime walk in with Hardie and Raptor. They sat at the command table to listen. "We located on the new array the fifty-two colonies that were made aware to us by Timpani and his family. We checked in with Dai Atlas and they inspected on the down low as the humans say. They're so close to the expanding 'Con hegemony that they're in real danger.

"The Decepticons appear to be reclaiming area to build a no fly zone and they're going to be found sooner rather than later. Some of the colonies consist of science and munitions workers of great skill and innovation. If they're picked up they will never see freedom again."

Prowl frowned, then continued. "Atlas sent them a message to get ready to go and to mine everything that they have. The total count of individuals is about 50,000 or so give or take a 100 or two."

Prime considered that, then put in a call for titans. In moments the room was filled with them. They glanced at Prime, then headed his way. "Gentlemen, our people are in danger near the Dead Zone and must be saved."

They nodded almost as one, these visored enigmas.

"Command us, Prime," Hammer of Primus said in his deep sonorous voice.

=0=Shortly later

They sat in stationary orbit over Autobot City waiting for the call to leave. Sun and Jack were going over the plans with Prime who would wait to see how things happened here at The City before meeting any need for him to be there. Turbine would be The Prowl™ and Raptor would be the ground game commander. Hardie would have overall command as his brothers led the two titans, Camber and a ship from Cybertron's defensive ring, Fury. Both were worthy warriors and former hunter-killer command officers.

They were tattooed and silently formidable in ship mode as all of them were. Some of them were poets and lovers but all of them were spark bound to Prime and dedicated to the Matrix and beyond to all of their people. For them to come to serve a Prime of the quality of Optimus and to be housing or other needs for The People was something that 'fulfilled our highest function' as they always put it.

Tyke had another expression for the same thing. "Its slagging good to sit down and have a life."

Shuttles were coming commanded by Lissie and they would be the hammer to the nail of any Decepticon who might come near. Ten of them were called up and all of them were commanded by veteran soldiers though Springer and Drift weren't among them. They were still in the bubble of Tell's emergence and it took priority over everything else short of the Apocalypse, SO SAY I, PROWL!

Springer and Drift chatted with a group of mechs including Hercy and Kup who would command a shuttle apiece. They expected to come in to the area, pick everyone up and leave just as fast.

"If this wasn't the situation we would come," Springer said as he fretted slightly. Not being the commander of the shuttle group was a strange thing altogether and he was still working out how he felt about it.

"Tell comes first," Kup said. "Little mech needs structure. If we need ya, bridge in."

"We probably will," Drift said as he held the carry case with Tell's smiling face visible inside it. He was staring at his little dollie with joy. The case was soundproof.

They chatted, then the teams loaded up. Drift and Springer watched them rise into the air, then disappear toward space. It was silent a moment, then they glanced at each other. "Frag," both of them said at the same time. It would be a slightly mopey walk to the Fortress and Ops Center.

=0=Ratchet

He walked into the apartment with the kids having gathered them from the curb as they came in. He would be staying given that intel said the colonies had good doctors and all was pretty much in hand. Caches Disease seemed marginal along with other refugee syndromes so he went home with the kids while Ironhide hung out at Ops Center with Prime. If he had to go, too, it would be easier from there than in the midst of the kids.

"WHAT WE DOIN', ADA!?" You-Know-Who asked with his inside voice.

Ratchet snickered as he glanced down at the shorties. "How about you play until I call for dinner. Any homework amongst ya?"

There was, actually.

Shortly later …

Ratchet put the last tray of cookies into the oven then stared down at the shorties. Everyone needed to bring a treat the next orn and guess who had to make them. After waffling about ordering them on line, he was informed by Hero that they had to be made so the kids could watch how it worked so they could make them at school the next day.

APPARENTLY IT WAS FOOD WEEK IN THE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HE DIDN'T GET THE MEMO.

Genesis and Fireball who had helped smirked at Ratchet. "Notice that we didn't ask for anything at the last minute."

"I noticed. What are you supposed to make?" Ratchet asked as the cookies cooked and the room smelled amazing.

"Actually, we're going to make it in Home Ec," Genesis said with a slight grin.

"Home economics? You have home ec? Ironhide had it when he was your age. The only thing he liked was the cooking as long as he wasn't doing it."

Quasar who volunteered to do the dishes glanced over his shoulder. "Atar told us that they had those classes all through his schooling. He said that everyone of the high castes learned how to cook and entertain."

"That's because they had to spend the money they stole from us on the finer things," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile.

"Atar stole money?" Fireball asked with surprise.

"No." Ratchet chuckled. "The high caste slaggers did, too many of them. The rest just invested what they inherited into things and made more. Parties were the places they made their biggest deals. Your old Pa can really cook but he hates it. He'd rather stuff the dishwasher and do the laundry than cook."

"You cook really well, Ada," Fireball said as the others nodded loyally. "I don't think the others teasing you about it is right."

Ratchet grinned at the slight frown on Fireball's handsome face. "They learned once the hard way about that. Prowl on the other hand is certifiably insane so I tolerate it from him so he won't go off the deep end too far."

The three of them stared at Ratchet, then burst into laughter.

"He calls you Loon," Genesis said with a chuckle as he put Halo on his lap.

"I call him Granny," Ratchet replied as he pulled the cookies out of the oven. They were perfection. "It suits him, the slagger. Who wants a cookie? I made extra."

Everyone did.

=0=Up there

They Flew their shuttles to the titans, then carefully moved in until they touched the outer skin of the big ships with their own. Four of the shuttles would go with them as they bridge jumped to the coordinates where Dai Atlas and a number of his mechs were waiting for them. The others would go through the Autobot City Space Bridge to Tau Ceti and the two Triggers working on the planetary insertion project. From there they would travel by Trigger to the meet up. It would be swifter than any other method for now.

The Autobot City Bridge came to life, then the shuttles began to fly into them. Six disappeared but not before the titans and the other four burst into light and disappeared. In seconds, all of them were gone.

=0=At the meet up spot

The titans and their limpet fish companions burst into view. Titan, Hammer of Primus, Metroplex, Acroplex who was getting to like missions, Xantium who was pissed not to be assigned and Fortress Maximus glanced at each other.

"This is good to know," Max said. "We can still take smaller ships with us when we jump if they touch us."

"I haven't done that in eons," Acroplex said. "Here they come."

A huge bridge opened and six more shuttles flew out forming up on the titans as they waited for Atlas and his mechs.

:Lissie to command. We're here, Hardie: her sweet voice said over the intercom.

"Good to go then, Lissie," Hardie said with a grin. He was sitting on the command seat watching them out the window when Atlas and his ship appeared before them.

:Atlas to Hard Drive. We're here, Hardie: a deep masculine voice filled with amusement and confidence said over the speakers.

"Welcome, friend. Its been a while," Hardie said to someone he knew from the First Orns. "We're ready to go."

:Then follow us. We have a staging area for this: Dai said. :The 'Cons have been roaming around. I'm not sure they know about us but its possible their patrols could be a problem:

"Understood. We're ready to go," Hardie said as Dai's swift ship moved in an arc and began to fly toward a small gaseous field nearby. They followed closely and all of them disappeared into the night together.

=0=Home front

Springer and Drift walked into the office to get ready to go on duty. Tell was washed, fed and drowsing as they made his little crib ready in the corner of Springer's office next to the desk where the sitter would work. Tonight the sitter was a mech named Tobin.

He grinned as the two fussed. "Everyone who's watched him says he recharges all night. Don't worry about him."

"He's a champ," Drift agreed.

"How's his thing coming along?" Tobin asked as Springer tucked the sleepy baby into his blankets. He rubbed his tummy, Tell yawned, then fell into sleep almost immediately. "I wish mine had been that fast."

Springer grinned. "He's a champ, remember? He's coming along well. He doesn't jump at every noise he hears. He knows our voices and that of his amma, Ratchet. Its slow but he's making headway at home and at school."

"A friend of mine had a kid who went there. He was blabbing fast. This kid will be talking sooner than you know," Tobin said.

Springer glanced at him with something akin to gratitude on his face. "Thanks for that. Also, thanks for watching him. He's easy as pie."

"I like pie, so …" Tobin grinned.

They chatted a moment about the sit-rep, then the two walked out to go to the Stable and ride with the patrol, some of whom were in the armada heading toward the Benzuli and the rescue. It would be a quiet pair that rode the Metro to the Autobot City Stables station.

=0=Earth2

The night was quieter in the habitat with most finding home the preferred place to be on a work day. The weekend was much more animated in the bars and restaurants as well as the other habitats. The attack had held them inside but that was lifted and the cross traffic between the different human habitats and the Mall w0as back up.

There was also a lot of interest in seeing the new Consulate with its outdoor dome and the swimming pool. It was strangely freaky to swim in it and see that but for a thin sheet of the hardest transparent substance known you'd be flopping on the ground dying in seconds. It took some getting used to using it for the locals.

Martin Polaski sat at a cafe drinking coffee as he ate his evening dessert. Life was good running the mercenaries and run them he did. He put them through their paces with his usual uncompromising standards. He didn't care that most of them hated and dreaded him. He only cared that Owen Harris approve of his direction.

Owen Harris did.

Martin Polaski aka Silas Bishop relaxed in the soft lighting of the street lamps as he sat at a sidewalk table 'outside'. He watched Owen Harris down the street standing on the corner outside of the bar listening to Clare of the Outback and the Big Mouth talking to him animatedly.

Again.

It was fire.

=0=TBC 03-20-2022

Happy First Day of Spring tomorrow, northern tier of the world!

Happy First Day of Autumn tomorrow, southern tier of the world!

Its about slagging time. So says the Alaskan. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

ESL:

limpet fish: fish that swim with bigger ones for protection are referred to as limpet fish. They do that for protection, usually with sharks because they're too small and fast for sharks to eat them.

Hegemony: (heh-gem-uh-nee) when one country loves (covets, wants to dominate) another country (victim) … When a country imposes itself by force or other persuasion on another, that act is called hegemony.