The Diego Diaries: Meet Up (dd7 76)
=0=Out there
"Identify yourself."
The command came over the inter-ship communications system, a deep guttural masculine voice making the demand.
The captain of the scouting group glanced at his officers, then toggled a switch next to his command chair. "Who are you?"
It was silent a moment, then three ships appeared from a dense field of highly magnetic rocks. They were a bit bigger than their own, powerfully armed but no match in a straight out shoot out with his own team. They were six ships, fast and light with enough firepower together to take the three out with little effort.
The interesting thing to both sides were that their ships were Cybertronian.
The voice was back. "You're from Nova Cronum. Identify yourselves."
The captain considered that, knowing only another native born Cybertronian would detect his slight accent. "I'm Distel. Who are you?"
The ships sat before them with a menace that was built into them. They were Decepticon vessels, scouts from a possibly larger group. This was what the boss wanted. Cassio would be pleased to know they found someone who might be ready to join a real coalition.
"This is Console. Where are you from and why are you here?" the voice asked.
Distel told him, then waited. It was then that the real conversation began in earnest.
=0=Flight Center, The Fortress
The Great Elder paced in agitation. He turned toward Starscream and Harrier who were sitting at the command table watching him. "I'm vexed. Very vexed."
"How may we serve you, Elder?" Harrier asked. She glanced at Starscream who watched his clan chieftain fume. "You must send a message their direction."
"The indications are that the group in their armada isn't big but they need to come here immediately anyway," Starscream said. "All Seekerkin must come. I suppose its too much to consider that some of them miss the messages."
"Perhaps," Rainmaker said. "Please make the arrangements, Star. I want to send it now. If we can peel them off, that's a blow against them. I will use the Mountain dialect. That one is less well known to outsiders than most of our languages."
Starscream called Ops Center, chatted with Blaster who was doing duty, then rose. "The call center down below is ready for you, my Lord. Let us go retrieve our lost people."
With a nod, Rainmaker picked up his staff, then was followed by Harrier and Starscream. He would make his message and it would be sent. It would reach the fleet in two orns, then the entire compliment of Seekers with the unknown battle group would leave.
They would do so with ships hot on their tails.
=0=Elsewhere
He stood outside the store waiting for her to return. She was seeking information about something that she was learning from her elders. Wirelite was helping her so she came here to pick up more of the specialized wire that was the stuff they used in their crafting.
She was learning to do a very ancient kind of braiding or crocheting, whatever it was. This was the place to get the kinds of things she was going to need for her lesson this evening. She was getting to be great at it but then to him, everything she did was wonderful.
She was wonderful.
Life was, too.
Hydro stood by the window watching her through the glass. She was looking at skeins of soft metallic wire that was the stuff they used to make things in that craft. Apparently, there were only a handful of master weavers that could do it so Gem decided to learn.
She had been thrilled to be in a place where her lively mind and interests had an outlet once counseling helped her to become herself again. She'd met a nice mech and they'd dated, something that had driven him to despair. She had decided to have a life and left him behind.
She hadn't meant to. She was sweet and they saw each other around but the other mech treated her right and she was expanding from her fear into happiness.
He, himself had descended into the pits of despair.
It had crept up on him, the feelings he had for the little femme. Maybe it was the protectiveness that he had for her when he was trying to save his family and hers from Razorclaw. They made it to safety, then she found her way. It would be a dark and lonely world for him until that moment she came to him and poured out her little spark.
"He was a nice mech, a sweet one but he wasn't you, Hydro."
He thought he would explode into flames. They sat together talking for joors before walking around the colony together looking at things and talking about what they wanted, both as a couple and as individuals. Things coincided, they clicked.
He was elated.
So was she.
Her family and his were as well. Now they were getting ready to bond the Stanix Way according to The Rules and she was making little things for the apartment that they were given by the Housing Authority to make it 'cozy, Hydro. This is our first home together' she had said. He was graduating from a bachelor's barrack's berth in a dorm in Fort Max to a real apartment with a real femme of his own.
She was the light of his life.
Gem walked out with half a dozen sparkling skeins of soft wire for the lesson this evening at Full Circle in Terra. She would be there with Joon and several other femmes and mechs who were going to 'expand her skill set with looms' and other slag.
He didn't know it all and he didn't care. He just liked how her face lit up when she talked about it.
He also liked how she showed him the little things she made for 'their house'. He liked to go with her when she went to The Home Store and other places for them to choose the things that would 'make our house a home'.
Whatever his femme wanted, she got.
"Look," she said as she showed him the bag filled with beautiful things. "I'm going to weave a pillow cover for the couch. I think these are great colors. Do you?" she asked as she looked upward at him, her sweet face and optics glowing with her happiness.
"I think they are," he said as he took her bag, then her servo. "Where next?"
"Amma's house," she said as they walked toward a metro. "Amma wants to feed you. She likes that you eat a lot."
Hydro, formerly of the Decepticons and Razorclaw's fortress laughed. "I like to eat."
"Good," she said with a big grin. "I like to cook."
They disappeared into the mid afternoon crush.
=0=Ops Center
Prime and Prowl walked in, gathered around Tactical, then watched as Rainmaker, Warlord, Starscream, Sky Warp and Thundercracker walked in, grim faced and tense. They stopped at Tactical, looked over the Home Guard femme's shoulder, then walked to the command table to talk.
"We have them tracked and have a plan to claim them. We are going to bridge out, grab them, then bridge back. It is going to take pinpoint effort but we have done this before," Prime said. "Who is going to meet them at the entry point and call them to come?"
"I would like to make a call to them, then Warlord and Thundercracker with Red Wing and Cloudburst will be there to wave them in," Rainmaker said.
"Very well," Prime said. "Make it so, gentlemen," he said to the Seekers who nodded, then ran for the Bridge Room below.
"How many?" Starscream asked as he looked at the map rolled out on the table. The blinking lights heading swiftly out of the Bootes were Seekers. The blinking lights following just as swiftly were not.
"We aren't sure yet, Starscream," Paragon replied. "The data is still being sought."
Starscream nodded, then pulled out a chair. He sat, then glanced at Rainmaker. "It may take a bit of time, Elder."
"The sooner, the better," Rainmaker said grimly.
At that moment, four Seekers were thundering down the runners of Trigger 1 as they flew with haste toward a point in space over 110,000 light years away. They would get there in seconds.
=0=Ops Center
Everyone sat at the table watching the lights that included a funnel indicating either a natural wormhole or an artificial one about 110,000 light years from where they were sitting. Four lights appeared in front of it halting to wait. Their team had arrived and were calling the fleeing Seekers with another message from Rainmaker.
Behind them catching up on their afts, several rather large and swift warships were speeding after them. They were Cybertronian and of a design that the Decepticons often used for pursuit vessels.
It would be close.
=0=Out there
They fled when they heard the message which arrived during their ship setting of evening. The message was electrifying and they discussed it in their own rarely heard dialects to find out the group consensus.
The group consensus was to obey their Elder.
When they gathered to leave, they shot out a few tracking modules on various ships to give them time. They would send their own message of dire need when they got out of jamming range. That was when they heard in their massed frantic flying the second message from Rainmaker.
"Follow the signal. There's a bridge and warriors waiting for you. My son, Warlord is waiting for you. Come to me with their aid. I have spoken."
They flew even faster, their young massed in the middle as elders, youngsters and adults flew with ever rising fear from the group that had been their professional home for ages.
:Here they come: Thundercracker said.
:on it: Warlord said as he jetted forward. He burst into flames, then signaled the group toward the bridge. He streaked through the darkness of space, his fiery persona lighting the way. Their sensors would trigger on his light and they would steer toward him.
Out of the darkness ahead, a mass of Seekers flew. Clearly evident in the road behind them, ships were chasing and closing the gap.
Warlord slowed. :I'm Warlord of the House of Rainmaker. Follow me. We have a bridge to take you to safety: With that, he reversed course and with a huge pack of Seekers flashing at maximum speed for their group, they followed.
It would be very, very close.
=0=Ops Center
:Warlord to Center:
"Prime here."
:I have them. We're being pursued. We're coming through hot. Let us out by Neptune or we're going to hit something otherwise: Warlord said over the intercom.
"Affirmative," Prime said as he glanced at Prowl. That worthy was already directing information to the Trigger.
"I must go to receive them," Rainmaker said.
"We will prepare to receive them here when you lead them in, Elder," Prime said as he stood.
Rainmaker bowed his helm, then walked toward the door that led to the bridge room. He was followed by Harrier and the others.
"More Seekers. More data," Prowl said. "Sometimes, the stars align."
Prime nodded. "I agree."
=0=Hovering in space near Neptune
The bridge flashed open as a mass of Seekers began to pour out of it. They came and came, then there were no more. As the bridge began to collapse, a small heavily armed ship burst out and flew past them as well.
:Rainmaker to Prime:
"Prime here:
:An enemy vessel slipped through. We're on it: Rainmaker said as he loaded his rockers onto his wing launchers.
:Do you require assistance, Elder?: Prime asked.
:No. But they might: Rainmaker said as a group of 700 adult Seekers and those helping them to escape capture turned around, transformed to root mode, then pointed their guns directly at the enemy vessel.
That ship slid to a halt right away.
=0=Autobot City Military Airfield
They stood on the tarmac waiting for the Elder to bring in a load of slaggers and refugee Seekers. Apparently, this was a group with families that had been part of a large ship armada that had merged with two others, then deserted their posts to free boot. They were so far from 'civilization' that the Elder and Starscream's messages hadn't reached them.
Now it did.
The wait for them to come here would take a few moments.
=0=TBC 9-2-19
NOTES: The Boötes Dwarf Galaxy, also known as Boötes I, is a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. It lies approximately 197,000 light years from Earth. It is located in the constellation Boötes, the Herdsman. (Boo-oo-tees)
The star Bootes is only 51 light years from Earth.