The Diego Diaries: Incident (dd8 237)
=0=Everywhere at once
The incursion triggered worldwide action as military and civilian groups tasked with watching for and listening to these types of incidents snapped to attention. Word flashed to Mars and the scene there was calm and tense as Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet and most of Ironhide's family hoofed it to Ops Center with Elita, Arcee, Magnus and Jetta. The control team settled and watched the situation as the Ready-Go team from Diego searched the grid for the location of the several ships, how many not yet known, that had appeared out of nowhere and flew with speed around the world.
It was obvious that the mission was to gather data and leave just as fast. The ships weren't beyond conventional but the pinpoint targeting of their bridges was a step up to the usual Decepticon tech that was usually crap or fully unrealized genius.
Prime watched his ships catch up to the group as they rounded the world over Canada and as fast as they came they disappeared off the map. He saw them wink out, then sat back with frustration. He glanced at Paragon. "What's the situation with the flight?"
"They're reporting that they were catching up and when it was clear that they were to target the group it vanished through a micro bridge that flared up, swallowed them, then vanished," Paragon said grimly. "Apparently, they aren't signaling themselves with their tech."
Wheeljack and Perceptor walked to the table to sit. Listening to the conversation, Perceptor frowned. "That's the work of Jhiaxus. He was working on the bridges and wanted the element of surprise. He wanted to develop micro tech so that any ships sent could vanish faster without their pursuers targeting them as fast as they would if there was a bridge before them. It was a tactic."
"A good one," Sun said with a nod. "That slagger is the gift that keeps on giving."
"We're going to get slagged for this," Prowl said glumly. He glanced at Communications. "What is the situation?" he asked.
"We have a list of individuals from all over the Earth who want to talk to you about this. It's all over the news net and among the usual backgrounders."
"Backgrounders?" Delphi asked.
"Enthusiasts, ham radio operators, serious individuals with big dishes, the usual. They track us and listen in when they can. They can be a really big nuisance because they never have the full picture and can start conspiracy theories and rumors with what they think they know," Prowl replied with an element of distaste.
"Who are those who want to speak to me? Or Prowl?" Prime asked knowing better but hope is eternal.
"You. The governments of you-name-it," Smokescreen said as he leaned over the comm console to look at the list. "N.E.S.T. is working on it from their end and they want a chat. I'd go with them first."
"Please put them on, Smokescreen," Prime asked with resignation.
A man appeared, a youngish military type, fit and handsome with pale blue eyes and a thatch of well trimmed blond hair. "Hello, Lord Optimus," he said with a French accent. "I am aware that you know what has happened."
"I am aware," Prime agreed. "What does it look like at your end?"
"The bogies came out of nowhere over Brussels in Belgium. They hovered over the city either to record or get their bearings. I do believe they were flying blind, though given they took a wide angled circuit of the world, they have intel now about us.
"They flew onward and we detected energy that translated to powerful sensor scans. They made a complete circuit of the world covering the northern tier before finishing up along the equator. Chances are good that they have images of all the major habitation areas of the northern hemisphere and just south of the equator with Mexico and northern Africa."
Everyone considered that.
"What else is happening that I need to know?" Prime asked.
"We're receiving messages from hundreds of countries and requests for information about what's happening including most of the news organizations that exist. This is the second incursion and everyone is afraid. Organizations with dishes are turning them to the horizon line of the Earth to watch for anyone to appear out of nowhere. You're going to get messages if you haven't already that the big arrays are being positioned to network to spot anything out of the ordinary as much as they can be. Smaller dish systems are being redesigned to look for these guys if they come back. They will come back won't they?" he asked.
Prime considered that. "I have no reason thus far to doubt this will continue. The point of our vigilance now is to make it end with extreme prejudice."
The man nodded. "I'm sending you the communications and the list we have of those who are demanding and that's the word for it, demanding to speak to you about this."
Prime nodded. "Thank you. We are analyzing this and will contact you shortly. Please keep us informed over what you find out. We are going to beef up our own technology and presence on Earth as well."
The young man nodded, then the screen went back to the Prime logo.
"The messages are coming in, Optimus," Smokescreen said. "I have to get back to Diego."
"Go, then cut yourself in on a monitor. We're going to be at this for a while, Smokey," Prowl said as the big mech stood to walk back to his command. Dev would go with him.
"Well, we better get something organized here before we return calls. None of them look too happy," Ratchet said as he perused the list on the data pad in his servo. "I don't feel too happy either."
=0=The Hourly News: THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS!
"So far there's no damage reported to this latest incursion into the airspace of Earth," Aleph said as he sat at the news set at IntraCom broadcasting the story. Sitting with him was a grim faced Jacx and Gen-O. "The information that is known is short and incomplete. At 2258 hours on the TMC European time an unknown number of fast heavily armored vessels appeared over Brussels, Belgium from a bridge.
"The vessels hovered over the city orienting themselves to a grid pattern that is being analyzed at the Operational Center in The Fortress here at Autobot City by the Senior Autobots, Optimus Prime and Sciences. After a moment of stillness and silence, the ships sped up moving apart at equal distances to begin a scan of the Earth and at that point, Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, China, both Koreas and Japan.
"They followed the curve of the Earth and wound down through Canada and the United States before widening their distances apart to include Mexico, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Northern Africa. It was then that they were interdicted by the Ready-Go flight from Diego Garcia and vanished through a micro bridge which bloomed long enough to take them away.
"The bridge was so swiftly opened, then closed that no one was able to get a fix or shoot a tracer at a vessel to find out where they came out in their transit. It's unclear where they're from or going when they leave on this, their second successful incursion into the solar system.
"The first one was an orn ago in which the emergency broadcast system told the entire colony to go into the shelters where everyone stayed for several joors before getting the all clear. It took nearly a joor for everyone to get below ground as the colonial security grid determined. The goal was everyone below ground in under a breem.
"As it stands, who they are and where they come from is a mystery. Commander Jazz of the Office of Strategic Communications and a senior Autobot in Special Forces and Missions said that a possible suspect was being tracked and more information would be released about them when it was gathered. He did state that they were far away in the Ruins of the Benzuli Expansion and thus were caught in a terrifying area of deadly gases and energy bursts.
"Right now, the issue is the alliance between Earth and Mars as well as the support and confidence of our allies who appear to be very shaken by this incident. That is compounded by the one from an orn ago in which the Ready-Go flight was destroyed on the ground at Diego Garcia and our Embassy which suffered damage from gunfire from the ships. What do you think, Gen-O? Jacx?" he asked his companions.
"I think I worry that the humans might lose confidence in our ability to protect and defend when our record over the years of our treaty agreements has been so stellar. I worry that this will stir up anti-Autobot sentiment and give strength to the breakaway and dissident groups who would love to see the treaties and agreements done away with," Jacx said as the others nodded.
"It would be a disaster if that happened. Given the amount and kinds of energon floating in this system all the way out four and five light years, its a miracle that it wasn't invaded long ago. The kind of place this is as a source for what Prime once called 'our life blood' requires protection. The humans are unable to meet the danger that this sort of incursion is signaling.
"I know their radical groups feel they can somehow talk the Decepticons into agreements that have never been granted to anyone in their existence before. But I tell you from bitter experience that this will never happen. That sort of wishful thinking is dangerous to the safety and well being of the humans on Earth," Gen-O said.
=0=Earth
"We haven't received any word from Autobot City about this situation though there is notice that several dozens of governments have put in requests to speak to Prime," the news reader said. "At the moment there is no communication from Autobot City about this situation though its been mentioned that the lines between Autobot City and Global N.E.S.T. worldwide have been burning up for a while."
=0=IntraCom, at the Primal Announcement set
Jazz sat behind the camera waiting for Optimus to settle and the camera angles and lighting to be clarified. It wasn't as tense as it probably was on Earth. They were used to being fragged by the 'Cons. The humans, however, were feeling it. Blaster nodded to Jazz. "Optimus, we're ready when you are."
Prime glanced at Jazz, then nodded. "I am ready."
=0=All around the world(s)
The programming was interrupted by the Seal of the Primes of Cybertron. Radio, monitors and other informational devices changed to the solemn and handsome face of Optimus Prime.
Earth …
"We have an announcement that Optimus Prime is going to be speaking," the news reader of the news program going worldwide said. "We are cutting over to Autobot City on Mars and Optimus Prime."
Prime …
He watched the light change, then nodded slightly. "Good evening. I am Optimus Prime. I come to you tonight to address the incursions that have occurred twice on Earth and which have caused so much concern by all involved.
"We have been watching the transit of an unknown group of a sector of space called on our charts the Benzuli Expansion. It is an ancient star nursery that had in some infinite past gone supernova. Several stars, as many as 200 of varying size and age erupted at nearly the same time causing deep rifts and ruptures in space, perhaps even to the time continuum itself. It is a deeply dangerous and unstable area where energy eruptions can appear out of nowhere and destroy you without warning.
"On our star charts from the beginning of our civilization, the Benzuli Expansion is off limits to travel and colonization. That being said, there are many who risk it including some of our more desperate refugees. We have sought them and brought out all that are there at great risk. It is not for the faint of heart.
"This area is also one of the few transit routes from the Decepticon Empire for those who wish to flee in the general direction of Cybertron without interference. We do not know how many have tried and not made it. We do know that a very large breakaway battle group is transiting it and we do believe that the ships coming here are from it.
"We believe that they have been long away from the core of the empire and are trying to figure out what has changed and who is in charge. It is not our view that they intend to shoot up anything at the moment. We do believe our fleet at Diego Garcia was a reflex action on their part. That being said, we have begun to reconfigure our defensive grid. We are also studying their micro bridge directional systems. We want to detect when they appear to have our defense units waiting for them.
"Until that happens, we will be redoubling our usual defensive groups and rerouting our dishes, sensor units and patrols. Earth will be seeing a lot of our ships over the coming days until we find a way to be faster at detecting their arrival."
Ratchet and the others sat in the Ops Center listening to Prime. It was silent and sober as he continued.
"I will also be sending my ambassador Ratchet of Iacon to the United Nations to address this situation in two days time. By then we hope to have not only an answer to who and what this is but a plan in place to prevent their incursions altogether. We are good at this. Very little is new about this. We would like your forbearance for an orn or so. The alliance is imperative to us and absolutely of consequence to you on Earth. Until all are one."
The screen went back to the logo as Ratchet sat forward in his chair. "Oh joy," he said with a grin.
=0=TBC 8-24-2021