The Diego Diaries: Incident: Send (dd8 260)
I suppose it would pay to wait to see if it does when you press send.
Sigh ...
=0=In a control room at the Geosynchronous Bridge Annex
"Are you ready, Milie?"
:I am, Wheeljack. The data is back from Charon. Its a perfect trial run:
Wheeljack who was sitting in the control room of the Geosynchronous Bridge on the Habitat Highway sat back with pleasure. "That's great. We can send now."
:We're waiting for your countdown, Wheeljack: Milie replied from Trigger 1.
"Wheeljack to drone control."
:Control here, Commander:
"We're ready to send at the preset coordinates. Miler is in charge. Launch at his command." Wheeljack switched to the telemetry of the drone that was going to be launched from Zeal, a metrotitan who was going to Caminus to replace Clipper. That worthy would go back to the DMZ again.
:Drone Control, this is Miler Navigator from Trigger 1. Check in for countdown. Send latest telemetry of the package: His soft voice, calm and ultra professional sounded over the intercom system of several places including Ops Center in The Fortress.
:Miler Navigator, this is Drone Control. We've sent the requested data and are ready to launch at your command:
:Very well. Stand by: It was silent a moment, then Miler was back. :Launch package on my count, Drone Control. On my count … mark now. Five … four …:
=0=Ops Center, The Fortress
It was silent in the vast room as the swing crew listened to the countdown to the launch of a drone designed to flash scan the area and send back data. It would be launched with such ferocity through a tight beam bridge that it theoretically could pierce the wall of radiation that held everyone prisoner in The Ruins, gather data and send it back before cracking up. It would be launched toward the area that had been calculated to be where the group would go if they were faced with the inability to continue directly into The Ruins. It would land in a calculated space in the nebula that would alert everyone that they were looking for them. It would be their route to take if they were being followed by Decepticons.
Prime and Prowl listened along with Ratchet and the others. Those who weren't back at their jobs on Cybertron or who were finished for the orn and here to drop off their reports gathered with them to listen.
:Three … two … one. Launch. Repeat, launch:
It was silent a moment, then the stations of the mission checked in.
:Its away: -Drone Control
:It's going like a fragger: -Wheeljack at the Geosynchronous Bridge Annex
It was silent a moment, then Miler was back. :Its away through a micro bridge. Waiting for telemetry to come back:
More silence, thick and dense.
:We have telemetry: Miler said with exaltation.
Everyone relaxed almost all at once, buoyed by the first good news since the pursuit team left.
Prime glanced at the map. "What do you have, Miler?"
:In a second, Optimus. Cody is unpacking it: Miler replied.
Miler sat at his station watching as their senior analyst, Cody of Camdon 5 began to sort through the vast data send that the drone had managed before ending somewhere no one would really ever know. It was silent as his digits flew over the keyboard before him.
=0=Out there
"Commander?"
"What, infant?"
"We have a burst of energy, then an object." Rem turned to Hercy. "It reads as a drone."
Hercy grinned slightly. "It's about time, Optimus." He glanced at Rem. "Open a channel to the others."
:Hercy. Did you see the burst?: Sun's voice asked over the intercom.
"I did, General. I think Prime sent us a card."
Sun laughed. "I agree. How about all of us take a side tour? Cord? You in agreement?"
:I am. Lead on: Cord replied. He sat in the engineer's chair watching Bardo out of the corner of his optics. That mech was dark with disapproval but he said nothing. Everything in his experience with Bardo indicated that this wasn't going to end well. "Follow the Bots, Selo."
Selo did.
=0=Ops Center, everyone gathered
"What we did was plot the drift of their travels from where we had our last coordinates to where they might be if taking reasonable precautions to go away from the vortex. Given all things being equal we managed to get data from the location and its surroundings up to where they left. Here's what we know so far."
Wheeljack tapped the map. It showed a vast region of blank space that was filling in swiftly. "This is the entrance that they used to get through The Ruins to come here and buzz is. Its a tight area but doable. However," he said pointing to a shimmering representation of radiant energy, "this is what keeps them penned up on the other side, the fleet. Apparently, a very small floe burst out and sent a river of energy across this opening that's held up the 'Cons and prevented the others from getting back with them.
"Given that they're being chased, they went this way into a very old and highly dispersed nebula. It appears to be heavily laden with debris and particles of old explosions of planets and planetoids which are drifting with it. There's really nothing of significance about it itself but its a nice hiding spot.
"We noted also a number of large entities which appear to be huge ships. They appear to be derelict, ended by either catastrophe or a battle. Its hard to determine but they have large debris fields around them and they're drifting with the nebula. Its my wager that they had a battle a long time ago with someone even bigger and lost."
Prime nodded. "What's the threat assessment then?"
"I would say very, very low, if at all," Perceptor replied. He stood beside Wheeljack staring at the map. "I also would say that the ships involved are massive on the scale of a small dreadnought. I don't believe they would survive that kind of encounter with one of our dreads in any better shape than this but its instructive to know that there are aggressive beings this close to us with weapons and ships this large and powerful."
"The Ruins, all of it protects us then," Prowl said.
Perceptor nodded "For the first time ever I'm glad they're there."
Everyone mused on that a moment, then Prime sat again. "What's the data say about our group?"
"It shows them to be here," Wheeljack said as he pointed to a blinking light on the map. "It would appear that they got our signal and are heading for the drone as hoped."
"That's the first good news on orns," Prowl said as everyone nodded.
=0=Out there
They flew together heading for a blinking light on their sensor grids. An object had appeared out of the thin dark airlessness and they knew it had to come from Prime. The signature of the object was classic Autobot tech.
"What do you suppose Prime will do, Commander?" a youngster asked.
"Well, I think he might have a bead on where we are now and he can arrange a bridge with our help," Hercy said. "Its looking way up, infants. We have that kind of Prime."
"He would never not look for us," the youngster stated, though a hint of uncertainty was still there.
Hercy glanced at him, then grinned. "You don't leave your own behind."
=0=On other ships
Cord mused on the situation considering how he'd managed to get about half of the kids on his squad on these shuttles to come with him on the mission. He didn't like leaving any of them behind, even the three hot helms who were the least likely to follow him away if he ever had the chance to take off. The phase sixers were formidable enemies to have and he didn't relish the idea of ever getting his mechs to leave the group with him but it'd been on his processor for some time.
Even if Paladin was a better commander than Megatron, they were still hardcore and it meant that any kind of outburst any other sixer could make, these two could as well. He didn't like them, the specialist weirdos, all of them products of the crazed processor of Megatron. That mech had burned his bridges with Cord and there would never be a time he'd stay with the 'Cons with him in charge. That is, the only time he would involved his mechs.
He would stay for them.
:Cord:
"Cord here, Appa."
:We're going to pull the drone in. Come over and check it out with us. We want everything to be transparent and upfront:
Cord glanced at his mechs with their expectant faces then Bardo who was looking at him with suspicion. "Come with me, Bardo. Let's go see what they have."
"You'd trust them? You'd risk both of us?" he asked darkly.
"No. I just asked you to come. Don't come then," Cord said as he rose from his seat.
Bardo rose with him. "You're not going over there alone."
Cord nodded. "Let's go then."
The two walked to a door, strapped on a jet pack, then stepped out into vacuum. As they did they could see similarly clad Autobots dragging a very slender sleek drone into their shuttle. It was a short ride to the door to enter it, then it closed behind them.
=0=Inside
They stared at each other, Cord with a new guy and the Autobots. The drone was laying on the floor and looked scorched to shit.
"Cord," Hercy said. "Who's that?"
"Bardo," Cord said.
The mechs looked at Bardo coming to the conclusion themselves that this was a bad ass who wasn't one to turn your back on.
"We got a drone from Prime. He figured out how to pierce the screen and we're going to hear the message. There's one inside," Hercy said.
Sun who had flown over with the other leadership stood beside Hercy. Lissie, Devcon and 'Jack were sitting on the seats in a row by the drone as 'Jack worked to pull out the message. All the other crew were in the back or sitting on turret seats watching the show.
"Here," Jack said as he pulled a data wafer from the drone. He handed it to Sun who slotted it in the wall. When he did the monitor with it came on.
Prime could be seen looking at them. "Sun and the rest of you, we understand your plight and we are working on getting you back. We put this message on the drone to let you know. I do not know where the Decepticons you are following are but I hope they can be persuaded to see that there is no future standing against us. We are a vast and diverse armada and we would welcome them to stand aside from their path and come to us.
"One million former Decepticons and a million and a half Seekers live in the colony. We find and welcome more every orn. We are aware of the decimations and other atrocities committed against you even if you are loyal and true. If you feel the urge for a new life and are willing to come to us we will welcome you.
"Our science division is getting close to an answer. We've planted a device from the drone into free spaced in the nebula which is powerful enough to send us real time measurement of where you are. We will send another when we take stock of the data it sent to us. We are also aware of the battles you've passed and derelict ships from them. It very well could be part of an empire that Megatron is hunting.
"Until we can bridge you safely home continue to take care of your group. That also extends to the Decepticons. Until all are one. Prime out."
It was silent on the ship, then Bardo turned to Hercy and Sun.
=0=TBC 09-26-2021