The Diego Diaries: Avalone (dd8 271)
=0=There
It was calm as the wait began to bring the vast ship to a level of sustained energon flow that would allow them to access his higher functions and assess the processor activity possible. He would have to be at least at 85% of energon presence in his circulatory system before that energy could be utilized by automatic systems poised to return function when they were lit up.
Ratchet sat on a rock nearby eating food out of a box. Sandwiches, cookies, fruit and an ice cold beer rounded out the hasty meal as he took a moment to energize himself. He looked ragged from the drip of energon onto his helm and shoulders as he clambered around making checks and decisions about hard to reach problems that he still only had the expertise to make. Even if his 'Titan Team' numbered over 200, he was still the best placed to figure out what was needed.
Avalone was silent, a scary state of being for such dynamic and brilliant individuals as the big frames. This particular one was low key and retiring but that was beside the point. The inner workings of a ship of this size and quality, a sentient being almost too impressive to believe possible was never silent. There were functions ever running, noises here and there and lights. There were always lights to accent the beauty and grace of their lines and the solidity of their beings.
Now the lights were few and many of them were from Ratchet's teams. They were going through him again, the secondary sweep as it was called, making more permanent and structurally sound the repairs and rewires that they put together on the first round of searching. Avalone was holding his 'blood pressure'. The energon was circulating by some of his own systems and by machinery brought in to make it so.
Ratchet finished his meal, tossed the box and bottle into a bag nearby for such things, then walked to the ship to climb to the top again. It was a slow thing given his fatigue but it gave a clear view of the area around Avalone.
There was a long skid mark where he landed, then an abrupt stop that sprayed bits and pieces in all directions forward by sheer momentum. It must have been one for the ages to see and hear it, though sound was almost impossible here. He'd seen titans crash, one into a fiery ball of death and hoped he'd never see another.
Having them in the colony was a thing of pride for all Cybertronians who loved them and for the Clavus Aurea who worshiped them in their religious practices. This one was loved and the one who loved him the most was on Mars oblivious to this whole operation.
Ratchet reached the top, then stared downward as stretcher bearers carried off to a ship nearby the banged up and damaged drones that ran the ship for the great heart that beat inside. There were 62 drones on this vessel and all of them needed repair including three who only possessed a helm or a chassis after the crash.
He watched them load up, then the shuttle lifted off to go to Mars for the repairs. It was ordered by him because Avalone had his 'team'. It was something to Ratchet that the big gentle giant should have as many back as could be granted.
A meteor streaked through the sky far away and slammed the Earth. Most of the bots there could feel the faint tremors in the ground from it, though the humans wouldn't. It was a 'shooting star' and you were supposed to 'make a wish' upon seeing it. Ratchet did, then walked to the door to enter the upper deck in the superstructure. The door closed behind him.
=0=Prime
The five mechs gave every bit of information that they had, then were taken to the medical station on board for a once over. A scan of their databases had alerted them to family on Cybertron and they would be taken there to live. They were victims and there would be no punishment. It was clear that they were held against their will to do things that violated their belief systems deeply.
Prime glanced at Prowl. "We need to start a book on the new threat. I do not know what these beings are capable of but they can manage their way here with ease. They sound like multi-dimensional beings."
Prowl nodded. "I agree. All we need is more dimensional slag."
Prime grinned faintly. "I do not care for paradoxes either."
=0=The Hourly News: Good Morning Edition, 0700 on the TMC
"Good morning, Autobot City, Cybertron, Caminus and all of the Inner Empire. This is Cancel with the news, sports and weather to get you started on this, the ninth orn of the tenth month, Second Wednesday on Mars.
"Yesterday, the Prime and a fleet of ships departed for the Benzuli Expansion to investigate more fully the Decepticon deserters that are coming our direction through the part of the Expansion known as The Ruins. Its the only direct exit point in the area for anyone fleeing the Decepticon Empire and their sphere of influence. Some who are defecting or leaving to maraud as pirates take the risk of traversing it. Because of its danger, those who do get a head start on any pursuit.
"It's been reported that the large contingent of Decepticons detected on our forward sensor nets who are using the passage are being held up due to energy flares that make the region so deadly and unpredictable. Before they were halted by just such a floe, a small group of their scouting ships made their appearance here in this solar system before fleeing once again that direction.
"A team of our own pursuit vessels went after them and were themselves caught behind a level 1-A floe that has prevented them from returning easily or soon to our solar system nor utilizing a bridge. It is considered potentially fatal to use bridges there because the energy of them can attract eruptions.
"Right now the Operational Center at The Fortress is tracking all of our team's progress as they traverse a nebula to find enough distance from the floe that's blocking their passage to use a bridge to return home. With them are the Decepticon ships. Given that all of the ships are on the sensor screens of Ops Center its believed that hostilities between both groups have been put on hold due to their mutual circumstances.
"The Office of Strategic Communications released the following message early this morning. 'The Prime is aware of and is tracking the progress of our pursuit ships as they travel to a safe distance to bridge back to Mars. None of the individuals on board the ships is reported to be injured and all of them are cooperating to make it home safely. We expect that will be effected by bridge in the next two or so orns. When they return and are briefed, that information will be reported to The People'," She looked at the camera. "We will be right back."
The menus of the schools began to scroll on the screen.
=0=Ratchet
He sat in the command seat on the deck of the ship as mechs worked under his direction under the consoles that spanned the vast room. He had his portable multiple screen computer with him, a 'laptop' that when unfolded had four monitors. He was directing work in four different places with four different teams while being plugged in to 'listen' to the ship to find signs of recognition and improvement.
Being bonded to a huge ship like this meant that the processors of both the vessel and the doctor were synced. The nearly fully aligned meshing of both made it possible to find even the smallest problem in a ship so big it could transform into a city.
It took specialized tech for the doctor and a level of trust and comfort between him and the patient that was almost unknowable outside of a bond between mechs like Ratchet and Ironhide. That Ratchet bonded with each ship that came in wasn't common knowledge. That he was about the finest doctor for this frame short of the Pantheon was.
Ironhide walked in and sat on a chair nearby watching Ratchet as he worked. He looked like an old fashioned human telephone switchboard with the number and kinds of plugs that were being utilized by him. He considered hanging around but there was nothing here for him to do.
He rose and walked back out to find his elders who were given the task of finding out more about the pirates who ran this place and anyone else enslaved by them that might need rescue.
Ratchet wouldn't notice that he was there at all one way or the other so deep into Avalone was he.
=0=Ratchet
He moved mentally through the files trying hard not to disturb those that were personal and none of his business. He did flag them for retrieval-special priority if things didn't work out. At least Banner would have them.
It was like flying, like an out-of-body experience traversing through the data systems of the big ship with his mind. The amount of data there given how old Avalone was would astonish even the most knowledgeable data expert. Endless files of everything he ever felt, saw or did were stored in endless data nodes. Some of them were of he and Banner.
Even taking care, Ratchet couldn't miss a lot of it. That's how he found out what had happened long ago when they were separated and recently when he finally crashed on this planet. He considered his oath, then sat back to listen and watch. Somewhere in this set of data were answers to why he was here at all.
=0=TBC 10-9-2021
All of the Clavus Aurea stuff is canon. :D:D:D
NOTES! YES! NOTES! REPLIED TO IN A (MOSTLY) TIMELY FASHION! ITS A MIRACLE!
SunriderandSunspot chapter 270 . 10h ago
I love your story!'
ME: I love that you do. HUGS, darling! MORE TO COME! :D:D:D GLAD TO HAVE YOU ALONG! :D:D:D:D
SunriderandSunspot chapter 269 . 10h ago
did you mean bring the ship back? Not being the hip?
ME: BWAHAHAHAHA! I saw that and I'm going to edit it. Ship, not hip. :D:D:D HUGS! :D:D:D
Misty Legionnaire chapter 270 . 15h ago
A new combatant? Interesting.
How do the two Decepticon bases figure into this?
ME: They are going to be interesting. I would say more but you know about spoilers. For me, if anyone ever asks I will tell spoilers but they have to ask. Mostly. ;)
Also, does this new enemy have the ability to trigger floes? Seems awfully convenient the floe never abated and they were caught on the wrong side.
ME: This new enemy is canon but I'm adding flourishes because I'M SO EXTRA! (Not really but it makes a more interesting foe when you have a group that's about impervious to anything but the COSMIC RUST. So I like to spice up potential enemies if I can. :D:D:D:D
Glad to hear you are improving day by day, even with the side-effects of the pain meds.
ME: Pain meds sometimes do this to me. I remember my dad took an aspirin once and was hallucinating. HAHAHA! My little Poppy. Thanks, sweetness. Its getting better. :D:D:D
Misty Legionnaire chapter 269 . Oct 7
I would count my blessings having Prime in charge as well, but I suspect the pirates won't.
Have a wonderful day.
ME: I wouldn't mind Optimus in charge of our entire world. The pirates are going to be interesting. I hope. :D:D:D May all your days be wonderful, Misty darling. :D:D:D:D
sirius ordo chapter 267 . Oct 6
Oh man! Caught up again! Ugh. I have to find out what happens to Avalone and I have to wait. Noooooo…LOL. It's great as always. Love the story and great job.
Bless you, darling. Catching up can be a pain in the keister. By the way, I LOVE your screen name. :D:D:D:D:D