The Diego Diaries: Polity and Beyond (dd8 15)
=0=On board Tennyson
They walked across the vast command deck toward the heart of the ship where mechs and the odd femme worked briskly to get the show on the road. Many of the titans were here, some from Cybertron as well and as Prime walked up to take the command chair, Tennyson rose to let him. He'd ginned up his ship and was ready to go. "I'm go if you are, Lord Optimus," he said with a big grin.
"I am honored, Tennyson," Prime said as he sat.
Ironhide's elders were spread out over the fleet but for Delphi, Steiner and Hard Drive. They were the personal supervisory command and tactical staff as well as technicians of his command with Prowl as their supervisor. "When we are cleared, let us go, gentlemen."
Everyone nodded then turned to the task as Prowl sat at the command table with Delphi and Steiner. By the time they were set up the ship was already moving toward the blazing space bridge nearby to help him move his great body. He was going via Trigger to lead the fleet rather than jump there. Behind him, shuttles (many), battleships (three), Supreme mechanisms (five minus Kappa) and the hospital (battle)ship, Phobos followed. On the cruiser, Apis Bull, all of the Seekers who were coming minus their command structure were riding along. It would be their platform for this mission.
They shot through the bridge, then disappeared. It would stay open as a pinpoint near Polity's base.
=0=The Hourly News: LATEST BREAKING NEWS!
"This is Aleph with the latest news on the mission that the Prime is taking to halt the progress of a large group of Decepticon breakaways that are moving down the stretch of space known on our charts as the Bootes Chute. To tell us a bit about that we have Commander Devcon of Praxus who is going to be joining the group in a few moments but graciously was assigned to speak with us," he said with a chuckle.
Dev who was sitting relaxed in a chair beside him smirked slightly. "Just so you know this isn't voluntary."
"We do and we applaud your courage and fortitude. Commander … tell us about the Bootes Chute and why this is a very protected and maintained region of space," Aleph said.
"The Bootes Expansion is an area of space that if viewed from Earth through telescopes appears to be devoid of galaxies and other objects that are part of any sector of space that you can watch. Because the Bootes Expansion borders on parts of the active Decepticon Empire that hasn't surrendered and likely never will, it's a place for groups to leave and go their own way without having to cross more controlled space or be seen as missing too soon. You leave this way, they won't know until you're gone for a while which is why the remaining Seekers are making their way toward this area. It'll be easier to defect this way.
"Because its an easy escape route, everyone uses it. Every enemy group that's come this way but perhaps one has used the Bootes. Shrike and his group, the Functionalist council, Razorclaw, Ominous and Polity, they've all come here that way. Unfortunately, this is a major migration route for refugees as well. They come this way from the outer reaches of the empire we call the Forgotten Land. That is, soldiers call it that. Our people are far flung and we search for them everywhere. Any refugee group coming this way will not only have no idea that these 'Cons are here but they'll have to run the gauntlet of their bases if they do.
"Megatron has ordered that civilians be routed out and harassed our way to overwhelm us. That's the organized 'Cons. These aren't and they have no supervision. They could kill the refugees, use them against us to meet demands or just rob them blind. No matter what happens, its not going to happen." Dev's voice was ice and his demeanor was cold and hard. He hated the 'Cons and made no bones about it.
"What do you suppose the Prime will do?" Aleph asked.
"I can't say. I know he's bottled up three groups of which a couple are truly bad news. We just finished an operation where we wanted to take a census and they didn't want it," Dev said.
"What happened? We've heard a bit about it but mostly its classified," Aleph said.
A cold grin appeared on Dev's amazingly handsome face. "We came and did the job. We left happily. They stayed unhappily. Win-win for us. Lose-lose for them. Fraggers."
Aleph grinned as he asked a couple of questions, then Dev paused to take a message. "I have to go. We're mustering. Don't worry about this. We got it," he said as he rose to go. They shook servos the warrior way, then Devcon walked off screen to leave.
"That was Commander Devcon of Praxus, a special operations officer and noted bounty hunter for the Autobots. We'll be right back," Aleph said around his grin.
=0=Earth 1
"Why do I feel I wouldn't want him on my butt?"
"Some things are self evident. Handsome mech, I have to say. He's just about as handsome as they come," a tall woman said as she watched with her teaching partner in the lounge of their school.
"I hear you," her partner replied.
=0=Earth2
"He's a cold blooded fucker, that one," Hamilton Brown said as most of the men with him nodded.
"I think Dev is great. He's a nice guy with great manners and a lot of patience," Cindy Tomas said as she glanced at the men who were going over a plan for her that would bring in camera crews to make films for the habitat.
"How do you know?" Jase Daniels asked with his usual tact(lessness).
She glanced at him, then the others coolly. "I live here. I know people. Try it sometime."
They would get back to the job at hand with the monitor running in the background. They wouldn't notice from among their job's trivia that the camera picked up a sleek stiletto of a ship fly up to a cruiser waiting at the Trigger, enter its hold, then disappear from view.
Devcon had joined the group.
=0=Getting there
They blasted along, a terrifyingly dangerous looking mob of massive and smaller ships all of which looked fast as slag.
Prowl rose from the table, then walked to stand beside Prime. "I have a channel open to Polity."
Prime glanced at him, then sat straighter. "Optimus Prime to Polity. Answer."
It took a moment but the cold irate but heavily controlled voice of Polity answered. :Polity here:
"We are coming to visit. A huge group of Decepticons with a Seeker component is coming down the chute and decided to divert to pay you a call. Perhaps you know their commander, Nitrate." Prime waited for Polity to do the math.
:I'd think you'd welcome a confrontation: Polity replied.
"Make no mistake. I would welcome you leaving or falling. But not this way. This group is ruthless and very large. It would be likely that they would overrun your base, kill you and include your battle group into theirs. They would have a bigger group facing my empire and a larger threat to the refugees that come this way. I am not here to save you. I am here to prevent your situation in relation to us from getting worse. We are coming in. Make it clear to your people that we are or we will obliterate them. Prime out." He glanced at Hardie. "Take us in, General."
Hardie who was standing by Tactical nodded respectfully, then turned to the command crew. "I want to have details to our approach. Tennyson will lead the way with the Supremes in tow. Make a defensive array of our shuttles. The rest can follow at distance."
Digits flew as orders were given and the monitor forward reflected the new configuration. The bright lights of Polity's own guard began to fall back toward the rocky planetoid where the base was located. When they were on the far side of it, Tennyson was making his way toward a full stop. Around him the others did the same as the fleet came to a halt and began to form up a defensive ring between Polity's base and the mob who were making their way there.
It was silent on the bridge as everyone waited, watching Prime as he considered his moves. Then he spoke. "Polity, come aboard the Tennyson. I am sending a shuttle down to pick you up."
:Just like that. I guess I'm supposed to trust you: Polity replied.
"If your security is an issue on board my ship then I can always direct Tennyson to drop a few appropriately directed missiles below to eliminate that worry for you," Prime said. "I am on the clock. My shuttle is on its way. Prime out." He glanced at Hardie. "Send Springer."
Hardie nodded to Blaster who sent the message. Then they turned to the forward monitor to watch as a yellow light broke from the group and began a rapid descent to the ground below.
=0=On Impactor's Revenge
Drift turned to Springer as he sat in the engineer's seat. "We have to go pick up Polity."
Springer grinned. "Dad wants us to pick up Cousin?"
Drift grinned. "Something like that."
"Well by all means. Let's not be late for the quinceanera," Springer replied.
Everyone scanned it, then chuckled.
"I wish I had a tiara for him but we came on such short notice," Springer said as they reached the ground and landed softly in a clearing near a heavily fortified and partially underground fortress. It was instructive and a nod to Polity's background that his base was back up and didn't show any sign of the obliteration it took shortly ago. Heavily armed guards and the big mech himself stood outside in the light of the building waiting.
"There they are. They don't look friendly," Drift said.
"You know how it goes … family squabbles and all. Ma and Pa love us best and ol' Cousin there can't handle it," Springer said as he checked his arms, then stood. "Point a few canons their direction. I don't like the look on his face."
Sideswipe who was grinning at the two walked to a gunnery post, sat down and deliberately pointed the business end of the huge gun directly at the group outside. They glanced at each other but held their ground. "How's that?"
"It'll do," Springer said as he popped the hatch and with Drift in tow jumped down. They stared at each other, then Springer and Drift walked over to pause before Polity and his mechs. :Your chariot awaits:
Polity stared at the two with real hatred a moment, then stepped forward. He walked to the shuttle, then climbed in.
Springer and Drift watched him, then turned toward the group of cold opticed mechs watching them. :We have room for more:
No one spoke nor moved so they walked back and climbed in again. The hatch closed, the shuttle lifted off and they were gone in seconds.
Springer stared at Polity while Drift took the engineer's seat again. "So … how's it going? Its been a while."
Polity stared coolly at Springer refusing to take his bait.
Springer glanced at Drift who grinned. "Tough room," he said to great laughter from the guys on his side.
=0=TBC 11-16-2020 11-29-2020
NOTE:
Quinceañera, (Spanish: "15 years [feminine form]")also called quinceaños or quince años or simply quince, the celebration of a girl's 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood; the term is also used for the celebrant herself.
Apis Bull: Apis: the divine bull of the Egyptian capital Memphis, a manifestation of the god Ptah. Statuette of an Apis bull. Already in the most ancient times, the Egyptians venerated bulls, animals that represented fertility. ("Strong bull" was a common title for creator gods and kings.)