What Makes No Difference Is No Difference 24 (WMNDIND 24)
(Note: The odd element from Diego Garcia will be added here because its easier than reinventing the wheel so to speak.)
-0-Prowl and Prime
They stood together on the roof staring at the plain in front of them as the light began to descend into the grayish haze of evening. Desert in all its stark glory spread out in all directions, the haze of dust giving a gauzy look to the horizon where the sun was slowly setting. The heat had toned down and it was comfortable to humans.
"We have to think about building a presence here, Optimus, if Megatron is building a base on the next planet over. We have to be here, too. He could strike all over including Earth and there would be no equal force to meet him. I'm 100 light years from here and that's a distance to travel in a hurry even in super luminal space."
Prime nodded. "I know. I am studying where it should be so that it carries the greatest possibility for surprise. I think fourteen light years out is the limit. We can cover that in time."
"We've got super luminal space capacity on our bigger ships now. We're building a space bridge. I took the liberty of doing that to get us here quicker than could otherwise be done," Prowl said. "I thought given Megatron's presence that we would have to traverse space as swiftly as possible."
Prime glanced at him with surprise. "That is good news, Prowl. I worry about such things. Their build up here was discouraging to say the least. I was hoping to end this before things got out of hand but having Shockwave to contend with, too, has made a bad thing much worse."
Prowl nodded. "I'll run a search for a world in that range."
Prime nodded. "You might try a planet system the humans call Tau Ceti. The fifth planet we have already seen contending with Monstructor. Its hot but reasonable." He glanced at the beautiful profile of his partner in all things. "I like the idea that you will be that much closer."
Prowl nodded, then moved closer to Prime. He slipped his servo into Prime's, squeezing gently. "And I, too."
It was companionably quiet a moment, then the sun sank and the sky began to fill with the light of stars far away. "It's beautiful here. I like this system," Prime said quietly.
"It has its merits. It has you, after all," Prowl said softly.
Prime stared down at the quiet figure beside him, then nodded. It was silent a moment. "The bridge is a priority. We can meet more often and cover territory with ships and soldiers swiftly. What is the situation with refugees?"
"They heard your call," Prowl said. "We're getting them in groups, large and small. We can manage for now."
"Energon? We have it in quantities here in the debris field of this star. We can get it for the base if you have the bridge. Even if it attracts Megatron into knowing of the operation, it might give him pause. I would like to know if his base efforts are for who he has now or if there's more coming."
"I have calls out for the Supremes. Fortress Maximus is looking for them and Metroplex. If we can gather more powerful ships and soldiers, then we can face him on a more equal footing. I hate that you're here in an inferior position power wise."
Prime grinned slightly. "I do, too."
They chuckled together. Prime squeezed Prowl's servo. "Let us go inside and plan out the general operation as it stands now. We are in the midst of retrieving relics of great power and importance. Take The Magnificence when you go. We cannot keep it here. We have a Decepticon shuttle you can take with you. Its fleet and Wheeljack can make it signature neutral."
Prowl nodded. He stepped in and hugged Prime tightly, relaxing as the big mech hugged him back. "I want the command unified again. I hate being apart."
"I know. Circumstances might make that a real possibility this time. I hope it will be so," Prime said squeezing Prowl gently, ever mindful of his immense strength. Then they walked back inside.
Standing nearby watching the lights of Jasper on the other side of the hilltop, three children silently watched aliens enter an elevator and disappear from sight.
-0-Elsewhere
Shockwave stood in his lab, one deep under ground. He'd taken soldiers from the garrisons still standing on Cybertron and left with ships. He'd managed to control them at first with data downloads which he told them would 'enhance their ability to withstand pain'. What they actually happened to be were control devices, the first step toward the mindless obedience he wanted from them. By the time that he was finished modifying his troops, they would walk into a shredder if he told them to do so.
They were working madly as other groups made their way toward Planet X as the parasitic organic insects on the third planet from the star called it. He monitored them seeking any information that might lead him to finding the AllSpark, Prime or a way to take out Megatron and his lackey command staff one way or the other.
He'd gone his own way after waiting forever for something good to happen on world at Cybertron. He'd been given stewardship and had faithfully carried out Megatron's wishes while branching out on his own, making, doing and consolidating according to his own whims and a gradually growing desire to rule his own kingdom. The Insecticons who were there to act as sentinels against anyone returning that might upset things were his minions as well.
Megatron hadn't come back.
After fuming and considering his possibilities, he stepped out after achieving control of the big garrison that was there in a world with few individuals and a lot of destruction. He'd gone out following the trail that Prime and Megatron had left behind them, faint though it was and arrived at nearly the same place as the pair.
The nine world system of a medium-sized star in the unassuming outward spiral arm of the galaxy was the unlikely meeting spot of three parts of an eons old civil war. Digging in on a planet farther out than the rest, he probed everywhere inside the solar well finding out in his inimitable way that Megatron was here with a ship and a crew building a base on the fourth planet from the star. He assumed Prime was here though sightings and telltale signs were few and far between. He just assumed it given logic and what little he knew, though it bothered him to make assumptions without facts.
He glanced around the room noting everything was going well, then sat down before his computer. He would remain there all day and into the night.
-0-In the mountain
The signal that another transitional form was heading their way rang through the facility. Pausing in their activities, everyone there walked to Ratchet who labored over the sensor station.
Bumblebee preparing to leave on a search with the twins looked at the data. "Who is it this time, Ratchet?" he asked with his new vocal capacitor, one that revealed a very pleasing, very even vocal tone.
"I'm not sure other than its an Autobot. We will need to fetch him here. He's going to be landing in Hawaii in a jungle area," Ratchet said.
"We can get him, Ratchet," Sunstreaker said as he stared over the big mech's shoulder. "Sideswipe, Bee and me."
"Very well," Ratchet said. "I'm programming the coordinates in. Get him and get out. Fast is the key word here."
They nodded, then walked to the bridge which burst into flare. Entering, they disappeared and so did the bridge vortex with them.
Prime and Prowl walked in from their planning session in the main conference room followed by Wheeljack and Perceptor. "Who is it, Ratchet?" he asked.
"I'm unclear, Optimus. It's an Autobot and that's all I can tell you," Ratchet replied.
-0-Out there
The lushness of Hawaii was to be seen to be believed. It was to humans a paradise on Earth. Tall trees with ferns and other plants vied with other trees that bore fragrant flowers of many kinds. Vines and the steady drip of water from the rain overhead made it along with the warmth and humidity both pleasing and no so to the bots who waited at the edge of the beach concealed among the greenery.
"This would rust my innards," Sideswipe said looking upward to the sky which was gray and fielded a steady drizzle.
Sunstreaker nodded as he watched the sky for the telltale blaze of a transitional format hitting the friction of atmosphere at high velocity. "He's coming in. I predict he misses the beach and lands in the water."
"You're on," Sideswipe said with a grin.
A bright light began to appear, then grew bigger. If flashed in, cracked a sonic boom, then hit the water like a fist punching a glass plate. All around the impact gigantic splashes of water arose. Waves rolled in, a tsunami of current flooding to the grassy edge where the bots waited. No one was around besides them so that was a blessing as they waited for the form to unwind and arise.
It did. A big mech appeared rising upward and flinging his arms outward. Water flew everywhere as waves rolled back out, then in again. He straightened, then looked their way.
Sunstreaker stepped out just a bit, then waved him to come.
The big protoform ran through the waves, across the beach, then into the jungle.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Sideswipe said shaking the new bot's servo. "You look like slag."
That the bot in question was incredibly good looking by bot standards was amusing. "Thanks. Same to ya," he replied with a laugh.
"Come on. We have to go," Bumblebee said.
"You can talk now?!" the newbie asked Bee with surprise.
"I can," Bee said with a grin. "Come on. Ratchet? We need a bridge."
One burst nearby, then all four ran for it disappearing inside. Nearby watching on a tree branch, two geckos had no opinion on the proceedings.
-0-There
Miko, Jack, Agent Fowler, June Darby and Raf stood at the railing of the mezzanine waiting for the new bot to arrive. It was like Christmas nearly every day as a new bot or two began to come either summoned or on their own. Following the Omega Beam was bringing mechs toward their own forces.
The bridge swirled, then four bots stepped out, one of them still in basic protoform mode.
Ratchet grinned, then sent a file to that bot who paused to peruse it. After a moment, the flash of assimilation occurred and a huge bot with a blue torso, white face, legs and servos and red lower legs and peds appeared. He was even to the humans aesthetically pleasing and handsome.
Miko ran down the stairs, then toward the new bot. Pausing before him, she stared up. "WHO ARE YOU!?" she asked.
Everyone looked down. The big mech grinned, then looked at Bumblebee. "Yours?"
"Mine," Bulkhead said with a grin. "That's Miko. She lives here with the rest of them," he said nodding toward the mezzanine. "Jack, his ada June, Agent Fowler and Raf."
The big mech nodded. Then he turned to Prowl and Prime. They shook servos. "It's good to see you again, Optimus, Prowl. All of you for that matter. I haven't seen anyone for longer than I want to say. I've been tracking two individuals. My grandson and Shockwave."
"You have a grandson?" Miko asked with surprise.
The big mech looked down. "Yeah. A good mech, my Smokey."
"We haven't seen him. Where was he last?" Prowl asked.
"Guarding the Hall of Records in Iacon," the big mech said. "I've been looking for him and Smokescreen along with Shockwave ever since."
"You are not that far from Shockwave, Devcon," Optimus Prime said. "He is holed up in the debris field of this system. You have entered a Level 4 area. I am asking you to join us so that we can keep the operation here together and not compromise anything we've built thus far. As for your grandson, Prowl can put out feelers to find him and Smokescreen. I do not suppose those two are together?"
"No. I was off world trying to get there when the AllSpark was launched from Simfur. Smokescreen was with you but he joined me. We searched the wreckage and didn't find him. I was unclear where he might be so we broke up to search and … I followed the Omega Beam here hoping he did as well."
"I'll make it a priority, Dev," Prowl said sympathetically.
Devcon nodded. "Shockwave is here then."
"He is. Do you agree to join forces with us? We are in a very delicate situation here that could use your expertise. There are dozens of relics, some of them Decepticon weapons of mass destruction and others Primal in derivation that need rescuing. Megatron is building a fortress on the fourth planet from this sun and Shockwave is forted up on a planet in the debris field. We could use someone who can track like you."
Devcon considered that. "If I can kill Shockwave when it won't be a problem, I accept."
"That won't be a problem for me," Prowl said coldly.
"I don't have one either. What do you do?" Miko asked. "Mirage can become invisible, Bumblebee is just rad, Bulkhead can break anything in two without busting a sweat and Ratchet is a buzz kill. What's your special power?"
Everyone snickered as Ratchet sputtered including Ironhide who grinned slightly.
Devcon smirked as he stared at the little human. "I can track ghosts over water."
Miko looked at him with expectation, then smiled. "Whoa."
"Show her your gun," Bulkhead said. "The one mounted on your helm."
Miko blinked looking from Bulkhead back to Devcon who grinned.
Then it appeared, transforming from subspace to reside on the top of his head. It didn't detract any from his face or helm but appeared directly on top.
Miko looked at it, then staggered backward. "BULK! THAT IS SO AWESOME! IMPACTOR HAS A HARPOON! YOU HAVE A GUN ON YOUR HEAD! THAT SETTLES IT! I'M MOVING TO CYBERTRON!"
Even Prowl laughed at that.
-0-TBC 4-14-16 01-24-2021
