The Diego Diaries: Runnin' (dd8 483)

=0=There

They came out of a churning mass of ships, spotted the two waiting for them, then dove once more. Heading back into the migration, the 'Cons began to run as swiftly the other way.

Prime who was watching swore under his breath. "Follow them from above. Lissie, Steiner, follow them below."

:Understood: Lissie's voice replied as both shuttles dove to disappear from view.

=0=Beta

Ratchet watched as ships lined up beneath the listing behemoth to drain from his body the vast supply of energon that had flooded him at impact. When that was gone it would be easier to detect the magnitude of his injuries though it was evident from the emergency panel near his spark chamber that he was pretty bashed up.

Ratchet sat on a slippery chair in ankle deep energon working on a console to stabilize all of his problems for transport. Tumult of the Gods who was an internal medical doctor for big frames was rerouting Beta's energy flow to keep him from suffering more damage while Rever was working on his automatic processes, all of them, as the only certified processor doctor among his frame.

It was quiet as things sparked and glitches, waiting their turn to be brought under control. It would be a while before he could be transported to the colony for repairs and recovery.

He would. Recover, that is.

=0=Prowl

Prowl glanced at the map, then frowned. "Xantium, what are you doing?"

A deep rage-filled voice replied. "Sightseeing, Prowl."

Prowl watched as Xantium shadowed the 'Con ships above the mass that were plowing through the migration once more. "You're on standby to transport your brother. Get back here."

"I will. In a moment," Xee said.

"Prowl to Carbide."

:Carbide here. It's no good, Prowl. He's not listening to me: the mech who was commanding Xantium said over the intercom.

"Frag," Prowl said softly.

=0=Disaster

They flew into the migration toward ships that were bashed, some crashed into each other with others listing without motivation. Some were dead in the water and everyone who arrived, hundreds and hundreds of Seekers, small runabouts filled with mechs and femmes as well as fighters because the space was so fragged did so with dread.

The damage went on as far as the optic could see as the 'Cons continued their rampage to get away. They were doing what shipboarding specialists did. Ramming everything with total disregard for life and limb. Even the possibility that children and babies were in danger of death and injury didn't slow them down one bit.

=0=In hot pursuit

"Xantium is shadowing us," Springer said to a rage-filled Prime.

Prime nodded. "I know. We better get them first."

=0=On board the 'Con ships

They plotted their exit point and took it, bursting straight up out of the migration. Slipping into overdrive, they flashed away. As they did the great Xantium Supreme followed.

"What now, Prime?" Hercy asked.

:Both you and Springer follow. I want to know what happens: Prime said. :I am going to transfer to Lissie's ship first:

"Understood," Hercy said.

After a moment to let Prime out, the two shuttles shot forward to disappear after the 'Cons and Xee.

Prime sat down beside Lissie. "Take us back, Commander. We have a lot of people who need us."

Lissie nodded. "On our way," She said as she swiftly turned back and with Steiner running along beside her, they hurried back to the churning disaster that was the migration.

=0=On the ground in Autobot City

They waited for Beta to come and while they did two tow vessels made it to where he was in the migration. On the ground here, there was a lot of tension among the crowds who were watching, cordoned off along Metroplex Highway #1. No one was being allowed closer. The only exception were the emergency workers and the distraught trio of Kappa, Gamma and Zeta Supreme who lined the runway to assist.

On rooftops of The Fortress and the Professional Business Plaza behind Club Cybertron, film crews and reporters lined their roof tops. The scene was being streamed to the MCA and broadcast on the local channels narrated by the news readers and experts called in to talk about this on The Hourly News.

"What's the best probability that he can be brought here intact?" Aleph asked Morrow who was an instructor at the University Medical School in the Big Frame Medical Department. He was trained by Ratchet to teach their frame's medicine to increase the number of doctors certified to work on these individuals as well as the mechanics who were their maintenance crews. Roadie was a second year in the program, accepted at last for such highly complex training.

"It depends, Aleph, how badly he was hit. I received word from Tumult of the Gods that he was hit mid chassis and the damage inside was accelerated by shrapnel. Their exoskeleton is nearly indestructible so I believe if that's still sound he can come through and be set down without further injury. It helps that he's in medical stasis. There won't be any thrashing from pain," Morrow said.

"You're going to assist in his repair, I'm told. What's your specialty?" Aleph asked. "That is, if you specialize."

Morrow grinned. "Only Ratchet is certified to do everything that they need. No one has that much knowledge but we're trying to catch up. Tumult and Rever have accelerated knowledge on different systems but only Ratchet can do it all. My part will be in electronics. I have to rewire all of the damaged areas once they're repaired. My colleague, Samrit of Elam 3 will be handling anything related to spark chambers. He's the best spark chamber doctor you can find on any frame. So far, Beta is clear in that area."

"That's remarkably relieving to know," Aleph said.

"It is. Spark chambers of this size mechanism are huge and highly dangerous to fix."

=0=On the MCA life feed

Mick Moran, Glenn Morshower's chief of staff was sitting with others at the desk broadcasting the live stream from Autobot City. Seven people were doing the commentary as they watched the scene on the airfield runway.

The reporter in charge glanced at him. "How do you think this will fare compared to the time Omega Supreme crash landed, Colonel?" she asked.

Mick considered that, then consulted his phone which held information given to Morshower that no one else here was getting. "I just was informed that two tow ships left the Saturn Shipyard to go to the scene to tow him when he's ready. Ratchet is working out his condition and when he's ready they will. I doubt that he's going to crash. Omega came alone. This mech is in stasis sleep and has ships attending to him." He pointed to the scene on the screen. "If you note those two black ships hovering by the airfield?" he asked.

They all looked and nodded.

"Those are skycranes which lift heavy things and take them here and there. They were the ships that lifted the downed cruiser and other vessels when the colony was attacked. They're also the ships that lifted Omega from his crash site. I'm unaware of what they can't lift. If Ratchet certifies him for transport, then he can make it and the touch down as well."

"I would imagine that he can't walk to the hospital building then," a man asked, someone who was an analyst of Autobot military capability.

"He may not but the cranes can fly in with him," Moran replied.

"Its hard to imagine that something that big can be self aware," a man said who was an official of a multi-national consortium information center that analyzed the Autobots.

"They all are. You haven't been on a dreadnought. A ship sixteen miles long and six miles wide. That's an experience. Its a miracle of the universe, the variety of life that exists," Moran said. "We're just babies taking our first steps into the universe. You haven't seen anything yet."

=0=Prime

He held up girders so that refugees could be pulled out. Their vessel had slid into other ships, bounced, then rolled. As it did the side where the passengers had been tossed bent like straws pinning them into the wreckage. Mechs and ships were swarming the area as other vessels were drawn away from it in good order.

Everywhere he looked as they flew into the rescue, ships were tossed, listed and even spilled their guts from having crashed or been crashed into. It was as fury making as anything Prime had seen in some time and even as he worked furiously to help the refugees, the image of Paladin burned in his processor.

No matter how hard he worked it seemed that nothing was ever going to go smoothly. Everywhere he turned there was threat. Hoisting the girder higher, Prime gave into a moment of fury that not only entwined the mechs who did this but that renegade commander as well.

=0=Ratchet, Tumult of the Gods, Rever

"Then we're in agreement."

The two titans nodded.

"He's sound for travel, Ratchet, from my end of the telescope."

Rever nodded in agreement. "I agree. My area is sound."

"Then we agree together," Ratchet said with relief. "Ratchet to Prowl."

:Prowl here:

"We have Beta ready to go. What's the word on Mars?"

:We can receive him. The tow ships are here. Link in with them to get what you need. Do you need Kappa or the others to assist?: Prowl asked.

"Not at the moment. If they standby on the ground that'll help," Ratchet said.

:Understood: Prowl tapped into Inferno and Maribol who was heading the transport team on the ground. "Gentlemen, its time."

:Understood, Prowl: Inferno replied.

:Thanks, Prowl: Maribol said.

Prowl sat back, switched the screen forward to the ground game on Mars and waited while running the entire show though his processor. The damage in the migration was significant and the miscreants who did it were now off the grid without a lot of adjustment of sensors. Prowl didn't care enough about them at the moment to do it.

The humans in the box watched with muted amazement.

=0=At Beta

The two ships were designed to take the most endangered vessels possible and when they set their tow beams on Beta they did so with extreme care. Seventeen beams reached out to Beta and gently gripped him in their lime green hues. He moved slightly as they adjusted their intensity so that the forces exerted against him were balanced. If they weren't he could break up in transport so they took their time in consultation with the three doctors on board.

The tankers had departed with the energon Beta had lost which would be burned in the electrical grid's incinerators for waste energon on Mars. Now it was the big ships turn to help Beta.

=0=Polyhex, Cybertron

They gathered around the screen watching the show on a monitor that was set in a shop window. All around the planet monitors were placed here and there for the people to watch. They showed progress on the reclamation of their city, planet and city-state. They showed interesting things individuals were doing on Mars and Cybertron, statements by officials including Prime, events that were upcoming and a steady stream from Mars and now the migration.

All over Cybertron people watched the screens as the dangerous retrieval of Beta Supreme was underway. It was nerve wracking to see someone so revered and loved as a Supreme mechanism laid so low. It would be as tense watching from Cybertron as it would be from Mars.

=0=Beta

He was finally ready to tow toward the bridge nearby as Ratchet and the two doctors climbed back in their ship. They would fly ahead and monitor the mechanism as he was towed, ready to tell them to halt if things went south. Flashing toward the bridge in their small shuttle, Ratchet and the boys were followed by two enormous towing vessels and the silent broken form of Beta Supreme.

=0=Getting to be farther and farther away

Three ships fled madly with two following. The 'Cons were plotting their escape when something appeared ahead on their sensor screens in a flash of light.

"We have a bogey ahead," a mech said to Solo.

"What sort?" Solo asked. "Man the guns by the way," he said to his crews.

Three ships came online pointing their firepower forward.

Then it appeared all at once.

Floating ahead of them in root mode, an infuriated Xantium Supreme appeared with his big, big, big, big gun pointing directly at them. He had bridged ahead, transformed and waited with implacable fury for them to appear.

"Oh frag," Solo said. "EVADE!"

=0=TBC 7-23-2022 8-12-2022