The Diego Diaries: Nitrate (dd8 14)
=0=Ops Center, Mars
Prowl turned from the computer station toward Prime. "The territorial buoy was launched to send the warning message. Its pinged that it reached them. Should we wait a moment before contacting to see what they do?"
Prime nodded. "Where are they on the maps?"
Hard Drive studied the map, then glanced at Prime. "They're coming down the straight lane. At this pace they'll reach that part of it that's traversed by most of the smaller migrations in less than half an orn. Its unclear whether they see Polity. His signal situation is calibrated to pull back when anyone approaches. I'm assuming until he ascertains whether they're friend or foe, he errs on the side of caution."
Prime nodded, then all was quiet a moment.
Prowl stared at the maps, then glanced up. He turned to the computer station to run something, then back to Prime. "He's extending an open line." He glanced at Blaster who was standing by the wall behind Jazz. "Run the communications, Blaster."
The big mech walked to the console nearby, jacking in. His digits flew, then he glanced at Prime with a nod. He tapped a code. "You're on."
Prime considered his thoughts, then began. "Battle group approaching, this is Optimus Prime and I want to know who you are, where you came from and your intentions upon intruding into my sovereign space."
It was silent a while.
=0=Lon and Bezel
"Do you think we're on for the mission if it happens?" Lon asked as he cleaned up the counter of their kitchen.
Bezel who was sitting nearby going through mail on a handheld glanced at him. "I don't know. This one sounds big and nasty. I hope so."
Lon finished, then walked to the couch to sit beside Bezel. "We're good soldiers, you and I."
"But we've never talked about the danger, Lon," Bezel said glancing at his bond with a serious expression.
"They don't allow us too close to the shooting. I sort of consider it an honor to go at all," Lon replied. "If we go we might not be allowed on the shuttles. It could be that we stay on Salton Sea or something."
"I'd still go," Bezel replied. "If we can do our duty together I think we'll always be alright. Being apart makes me nervous."
Lon grinned. "Yeah. Me, too."
"Your ada sent a message about Thanksgiving. We're to go to their house for drinks and canapes. Everyone will be there. Then we all go and chow down at Ratchet and Ironhide's house as usual," Bezel said. "Same with mine."
"I love Thanksgiving. What do we have to bring?" Lon asked.
Bezel grinned at him. "Your ada says our smiles."
"Easy deal then," Lon said with a chuckle.
Bezel nodded as they continued to read messages with invitations and all manner of plans for not just Thanksgiving but Christmas Surprise as well. It would be a great interlude as they waited for their world to deploy.
=0=DMZ
They walked in on their school break to link in and go over some data that needed clarification. Genesis and Quadrus sat down at the forward console and began to plug in to listen and reroute information. It'd been a 'thing' for the elders and other soldiers working here to watch what they considered young kids be so good at this, to work like a highly educated technician on complex things. At least it seemed weird until they remembered that these ships were the natural body of these kids.
Watt watched Lumi as he sat down nearby to wait them. As day shift commander of the Genesis station, he was very fatherly to the sweet kids that could blow up planets even at their age. As with most Cybertronians, he had a reverent affection for their frame knowing they were holy and that they were a selfless defender of all of them. If it meant they would die holding someone bad at bay to protect others, they would do it without hesitation. The titanic frames were held in the highest societal esteem possible.
That's what made the pirates such a curse. There was never any mercy shown to them when they went after a titanic frame.
None.
By anyone.
He walked over to Lumi and sat down beside him. "Hello, Lumi. How is your life going?" he asked with a grin.
Lumi glanced at him, then leaned in closer. "Thanksgiving is coming and its going to be great. Are you going to have a family thing, Captain Watt?"
"We are. All of the family is going to Amma and Appa's house. Lots of fun and kids," Watt said.
"That's the best part isn't it?" Lumi asked. "I love going to dinner with Ammas and Appa. All of our frame comes. Then we go home and have another one with Ada and Atar. All of our ammas and appas are there along with just an army of friends." He grinned. "I never had this much fun before. I never thought about what it was like to have a family and a home. Not like we do with our Ada."
Watt squeezed Lumi's servo. "I'm so glad to hear that. What's the contest about this year?"
Lumi thought a moment. "I forgot to ask Ada. I will and let you know," he said as Genesis and Quadrus stood up to go. He stood, then looked down at Watt who had risen himself. "I'll text you the contest, Commander."
"I'll look forward to it, infant. You go and have a great day at school," Watt said.
"All of them are great, Commander," Genesis said as the three of them gathered, then derezzed to go back to school.
Watt grinned, then glanced at the others who were smiling. "Those are the nicest mechs. I'm glad they're on our side. One of them can blow the slag out of all of us."
Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.
=0=Alor
He sat in the command center house of their Las Vegas mission that was tracking the White ship back to its home world. Given the technology the aliens used, it was taking as long as it did to get from Earth to their home base. It allowed Alor on duty to write music, read copiously and go on food runs to various places all over Las Vegas. He was getting pretty authentic ordering and eating all manner of foods that humans consumed. "What is the status of the dead site?" he asked for the second time that orn.
A tech sitting nearby glanced at him. "Nothing has changed, Commander."
Alor nodded, then rose to stretch. "What kind of snacks do you kids want?"
They gave their requests, then he walked to the garage with 'Dad's credit card'. Optimus Prime would be providing snacks and drinks for the worker bees at the Las Vegas surveillance site for aliens on world.
He drove out of the driveway in The Car. A late model Range Rover had been provided because it was considered poor form to drive to Crispy Creams and transform in the drive through to pick up your snacks. As he did, their neighbor next door and her friends watched him go.
Through their binoculars.
=0=Ops Center, Mars
"Optimus Prime, I thought you were killed a long time ago."
Prime listened to a deep voice filled with malice speak to him out of the past. "Not likely. Answer the questions."
"You're not very neighborly, Prime, considering that the family and I are moving into the neighborhood."
Prowl rolled his optics. "Another squatter."
Ratchet tamped down a guffaw. "There goes the neighborhood."
Prowl nodded missing the entire sub context of Ratchet's remark.
Ratchet smirked at the back of Prowl's helm as the winger began to press record buttons on the computer behind him.
"This battle group is leaving the Empire and forging its own destiny, Prime. We intend to settle and make something of ourselves. I would think you'd be glad given you're a do-gooder and all."
"That's you," Starscream said with a knowing smirk. "Soft sparked Autobot is coming around to bite you on the aft."
A faint grin formed on Prime's handsome face. "You appear to have me confused with someone else."
Rainmaker snorted, then sat back to fold his arms over his massive chest. "Touche, Starscream," he said softly.
"If you say so, Elder," Starscream murmured back.
"You are entering my sovereign territory, Nitrate. Your battle group is not being given permission to come this way, to settle anywhere or disrupt life here within these confines. My sovereign territory encompasses half of the Barren that you are traveling through and I will defend my domain," Prime said.
"We're coming, Prime. I hear another group has settled here already some few parsecs away from our flight line of travel. I also hear that Ominous and Razorclaw are here as well. If that's the way you protect your sovereign territory, then I don't see any problem putting down roots here myself. I have to go. I have a group to tend to. Nice speaking to you, Prime."
The line cut.
"What a smart aft," Raptor said with a grin. "Though I do believe he has a point in that last comment or two."
"The only *point* that mech has is in the top of his helm," Prowl replied darkly.
"Actually, Prowler, he does have a point. We're rather fulsome in slaggers inside the 'do not pass go, do not collect 200 shanix' line," Ratchet said. He glanced at Prime who had a faint grin on his face as he watched Prowl fuss. Fussy Prowl was a funny Prowl. "We have three slaggers inside the line of doom and he wants to join the party."
"Frag him and his party," Magnus said as he glanced at Prime. "My guess is he's heading for Polity."
Prime nodded. "What is the status of the armada?"
Blackjack turned around in his chair, jacked in, then listened a moment. He pulled the plug, then turned to Prime. "We can go and the rest will catch up. We have a lot to do but its sufficient to go there and do what we have to do to get Polity either reinforced or lifted out. The Supremes and Tennyson are ready to go now. Salton Sea and Phobos are locked and loaded as are the battle shuttles, though the teams for them have to be called now." He glanced at Springer. "Hit the button, grandson."
Springer walked to the console nearby and coded in the muster call to those who were on the teams. By the time they were ready to walk out, everyone including many from the forward bases including the twins would be there waiting on board.
=0=The Hourly News, 1450 joors on the TMC
Cutting into the regular programming, the solemn face of Aleph appeared. "Good afternoon. I am Aleph and this is the latest news. Shortly ago we were informed of the presence of a battle group coming down the Bootes Chute, that is, the straight line passageway from the Bootes Barren which borders in a number of areas those parts of the Empire that are still in Decepticon servos. This group was discovered by long range sensors yesterday and has been tracked since it came onto the detection net of the Autobots.
"Information about its size and configuration are not yet known but they're being tracked by Sciences and the Long Range Satellite and Sensor Center both here and on Cybertron. It's possible given its pathway that it could go to either Mars or Cybertron depending on what its commander decides to do. Commander Jazz of Kaon who is Chief of Strategic Communications and a Special Operations Commander has released a message to the media on behalf of Lord Optimus which I will read now.
"As of 0139 joors yesterday morning on the Strategic Sensor Network, a group was detected traversing the Bootes in a manner not yet conducive to determining who they were or where they were heading. We tracked them and determined through a Seeker flyby that they were a large Decepticon group with Seekers who were leaving the Empire to strike out on their own. The Bootes is an easy escape route for those who want to leave with the least amount of detection from Decepticon Control.
"The Fleet has been rendering to go and will leave shortly with the Supreme mechanisms and the dreadnought class vessel Tennyson of Praxus to meet this group and get more information. Right now, its the will of Lord Optimus to turn them back and do so with force if necessary. The battle group leaving now is the forward advance heading for the base of the former Decepticon and now pirate Polity. It's the desire of Optimus Prime that the newcomers don't link up with Polity and his base.
"The advance group will leave immediately and be followed by more ships in about two joors. All of them will bridge out to Polity's base to eliminate time and make things over into our favor. The colony, Cybertron and the Empire are now on a level 2 alert. Given that the situation is over 110,000 light years from the colony and our empire, the alert would be only precautionary and worthy as a training exercise for our detection and early warning teams to raise the level for practice purposes. When we have more to say we will. Just be assured that the armed forces of the Empire of the Primes will take care of you and your family."
Aleph put down the datapad. "We will be back after this message."
=0=Earth1
"I hate this stuff."
"This is what happens when you don't learn anything. When you have all the power and you don't share," Brandon said to his wife. "These guys are the symptoms, not the problem itself."
"I know," Suzie Clark said quietly.
=0=Earth2
"Here we go again," Kyle Davis said as he sat in the committee meeting with the other high rollers and Owen.
"They need to find a way to plug that hole," Hamilton Brown said.
"Are you volunteering?" Jamey Jameson asked with a grin.
=0=Unidad Terra 1
"Well, there they go," Carly said as she stared at the monitor with Sam. They were working out a number of business conventions including the agricultural one due here shortly.
"They'll get it done. I've been there when they fought. I have complete confidence in them," Sam said with the intensity of a true believer. "No fear, no worries."
Carly nodded. "No fear."
=0=Prima Station, Midway Point, Space
They watched their first confrontation as a space based group that they were aware of being announced on the news. It was enough to leave a pit in the stomach. A pair of elders who'd moved here to help their son and daughter-in-law care for their infant kids while they worked glanced at the pair. They were in a restaurant having lunch together in what was now called Prima City on this, their day off. "What does this mean, son?" Nana Taylor asked.
"It means I pity the intruders, Mama," Jake Watson said to his mother.
His father, Papa Guy nodded. "I see your point."
Nana Taylor was glad someone did. It would take a while for her.
=0=TBC 11-14-2020 for Moosekebabs 11-29-2020