The Diego Diaries: Sun Dance (dd7 146)
=0=There
"This is Tennyson of the Dreadnought battle group, Obliteration. Hear me, citizens of Sun Base," he began…
=0=On streets all over the big colony
They came out of buildings everywhere to see the vessel that by itself threw a shadow over the entire cityscape. They swelled the streets as the voice of a very masculine individual reached them through their transponders, radios and monitors. They stared upward and listened.
"... I have been sent here by the Prime of Cybertron to see to your well being. Your leadership refuses to allow Prime to visit your colony, defying the Primal Charters, the Matrix, all laws and decisions of the First Convocation. They mandate that Prime not only has jurisdiction over all Cybertronians wherever they exist but has the Pantheon directed moral duty to protect you.
"Your leadership has taken a hard line stance about inspecting your colony which the Prime will not allow to stand. Your safety and well being, the standard of your living and your freedom are of the most importance to the Prime, the Pantheon and The One. The Pantheon Themselves have stated that The System of Exception is banished among The People and that should it continue Primus Himself will personally intervene to end it."
Down below, The People were glancing at each other with astonishment. More came out of workshops and buildings to join them including supervisors and in some places armed guards.
Tennyson continued. "I am here to bring the Prime's Will forward. Your leadership has denied him access to you and your colony so I am going to exercise my function in the light of my service to the Primes of Cybertron and the Empire. I ask all of you to step away from anything that might cause harm, anything that is electrical or might be unstable if power is cut off. I will give you until the count of five," he said.
Those on the ground glanced around nervously, then began to gather together in areas of open space in the city, towns and work locations. Schools emptied in town as worried teachers gathered their children outside. Everyone ran for cover as the message began to count down. Buildings began to empty as the population ran for the outside. In the sky, the ship began to run systems that were visible to those below...
=0=Inside
"What comes next, old friend?" Hardie asked as he lounged on the navigator's chair.
"What I am designed to do … protect The People, our culture and settlements according to the Will of Primus and The One," Tennyson said with an expression halfway between cool determination and deeply felt satisfaction.
"I thought so," Hardie said with a grin. "I don't think they'll like it."
"Frag them," Tennyson said with a chuckle as the drones on deck began to work together toward a goal that Tennyson was devising to them as he sat with Hardie chatting.
=0=Prime
They sat together in the Ops Center of Homeland, all of the locals, Prime and his big team. Some of the soldiers from the shuttles and ships were there as well to watch the show. None of them remembered what a dreadnought could do in a clinch but for the oldest which included Ratchet who had helped devise some of the systems that made this vessel unique.
"What's he going to do, do you suppose?" Topspin asked with a grin. "Besides blast them that is."
"He has some systems that make you wish you surrendered. I doubt that he's used them since the Golden Age," Ratchet said as Hercy and Kup nodded. "This is going to be interesting. Prepare for anything."
Everyone glanced at Ratchet who was watching the show on the forward monitor, a visual report brought to Prime by Seekers who were hovering nearby the planet and Tennyson himself. Then it happened …
=0=Tenn
"Five … four ..." a deep voice droned over the communications link …
=0=Sun Base HQ
"BLOCK HIM! BLOCK THAT MESSAGE!" Faber yelled.
"I CAN'T! HE'S OVERTAKEN CONTROLS!" someone from a nearby station said as he stood up in panic.
Machlis glanced around in a panic himself. "SHUT DOWN THE SYSTEM! BREAK THE LINKS!"
As he did the monitors began to spin data. There were arcs of electrical energy flashing across the consoles shocking everyone from their stations. Outside, the lights flickered, arcs of electricity could be seen through windows and everywhere the sound of electronics could be heard screaming alerts …
=0=Prime
"Something tells me that mech has a sneaky back door attack mode," Drift said with a grin as the deep visual broadcasts that Tennyson was making to transmit back to Prime appeared on the screens. Massive crowds were in the streets terrified of what was happening. Soldiers were running into buildings that were lit up with flashing lights as sirens sounded everywhere. On the airfields here and there ships were busting into flames, then blowing up. Around the visual area one could see things flashing, howling and sparking as people cowered in the open spaces between buildings and the streets …
=0=Tenn
Hardie watched the ship take over the world below. "I suppose you're going to take their databases, lock out their computer systems and make them helpless?"
Tenn nodded grimly. "I am going to do that and I want to find if there are any implant devises to control the population. There's just too many of the worker bees to be doing it by choice."
Hardie nodded as the count down went onward …
=0=Ops Center Sun Base
"… three … two ..."
"HE'S IN THE SYSTEM! HE HAS THE SYSTEM!" someone screamed as the leadership stood in the middle of the room turning in a panic as they watched their control stripped away …
"One."
It was silent a moment, then Tennyson attacked every computer, handheld devise, records depository, control node, control nexus, system and function on the planet. He began to withdraw every file, byte and flake of data on world and lock the device, system or node out with his own encryption after he sucked that part of the infrastructure dry…
=0=Prime
Dev turned from the console where he was working to follow Tennyson's actions, something that the big mech cut him into for Prime's sake. "He's devouring them," he said calmly…
=0=Sun Base
Fuller ran back into the Ops Center with an ax in hand, then paused next to the computer node that allowed access to the mainframe that ran everything located several stories below the Center. He began to hack at it …
=0=Around
They watched the colony implode as every device and control feature fell. Staring around themselves, big mechs came to the same conclusion. Almost as one, they turned toward the guards who were among them as freaked out as anyone else and began to beat the living crap out of them, taking their guns from them …
=0=Prime
"The crowds are turning on their oppressors," Dev said calmly as he glanced at Prime. "They're rioting."
Prime turned to Prowl, then looked at the screen. "Send for the Alpha, Beta and Gamma striker teams, Prowl. Hurry."
Prowl bent over communications a moment then walked toward Prime. "They're on their way."
They watched the screen as everywhere they looked rebellion broke out on the streets …
=0=On a pair of shuttles that were just landing
They jumped out before the ships touched the ground guns in hand. Flying from the Command Center on Homeland through a bridge, Hercy and Kup glanced around at the rioting individuals, then fired their guns into the air. Everyone around them froze, turned to the ships, then waited.
"Who's the boss here?" Hercy asked calmly.
A big mech stepped out of the crowd with a broken bar of steel in his huge servos. "I am."
Hercy considered him a moment as Ratchet came to them with a med-i-kit. "Let the medic check for slag a moment."
Ratchet did. He scanned the big mech, then everyone else who was close by. He glanced at Hercy with alarm. "They have the devices in their processors, Hercy. We have to take the Ops Center now."
Hercy looked at the team behind him. "We're going in." He looked at the civilians around him. "Stay here. Put down your arms. We're going to end this now." With that, he began to run toward the city center and the operational center of Sun Base, the mechs with him following.
The civilians watched, then turned to Ratchet. "Prime is here?" the big mech asked. "We've got a resistance. I'm part of it."
"Good," Ratchet said. "Prime is here. You're going to be free. Right now, they have to stop the slaggers at the command center. No more rioting. I know you're fragged but this has to end Prime's way. Understand?"
The big mech glanced at the three guards laying on the ground in sad shape. "It better."
Ratchet walked to the guards and began to treat the three. He had to argue to do it but the group finally allowed it, stepping back with seething fury as Ratchet patched the guards and their extensive wounds. :Prime:
:Prime here: Optimus answered off line with Ratchet who he was watching on the forward screen.
:You better get this shut down. They're attacking their oppressors. There's children here. We can't have it: Ratchet replied. :And by the way, the Functionalist devices are here:
:Its on its way: Prime said as he turned to Prowl with a sense of fury.
"They're coming through the bridge. Raptor, Lissie, Steiner and Blackjack will lead the ground game. They have orders to subdue and secure everywhere," Prowl replied.
Prime sat back only slightly relieved. "Good." …
=0=Tenn
The data flew into his massive mainframes in sectors he set aside for it. There was such a vastness of space there that it wouldn't take much room to hold all of it. Everywhere his mental tendrils went data was pulled, systems overridden and new encryption put into place. It was complex, written in Primal Vernacular, the personal language of the big frames and designed to punish anyone who challenged it.
Everywhere that he touched he prevailed. In minutes, the entire data output of the colony world was in his processor and no one could enter anything no matter how minor without his codes. The only exceptions were medical related situations and systems that had someone attached for their care. Everyone else including all military systems and programs were under his control.
"Tennyson to Prime."
:Prime here:
"I have maximum and complete control of the colony. Nothing can be accessed or utilized without my permission but for those functions related to someone's medical care."
:Thank you, Tennyson. Join me on the ground will you?: Prime asked.
"It would be my honor. Tennyson out," Tennyson said. He glanced at Hardie who was relaxing in his chair. "Join me, old friend? Prime wishes to show the flag."
Hardie grinned then stood. "I would be delighted," he said as the two began to walk to the elevators nearby. It would be a short bridge jump to the ground where Ratchet was assisting the injured. He would step out of a bridge just before Prime followed by the biggest mech any of those present had ever seen before.
=0=Ops Center Sun Base
He beat on the console to shut it off but it was too late. After a moment of sirens, flashing lights, arcing electricity and chaos the room fell into silence. Everything went dead all at the same time, rebooted on and the screens once they came back showed the Emblem of the Primes.
Machlis glanced at the others. "Its too late. We have to leave." Everyone stared at him, their expressions ranging from seething hatred to overwhelming fear.
"No we don't," Faber said. He unsubbed a handheld. "We still have leverage. We still have the population in service. All it would take is the press of a button and we can send Prime packing."
It was ominously quiet in the room as everyone stared at Faber. Then they shifted uneasily. Tulsa the Elder moved closer to Faber. "If we do that then Prime will hunt us to the end of time."
"And if we don't show him we mean business we will go to jail forever. What do you want to do?" Fuller asked.
The two nephews, Clamp and Tulsa the Younger glanced at their elders, then each other. Tulsa the Younger then began to run for the door. He disappeared almost at once.
Everyone watched him go, then a couple of others ran as well.
Faber pulled a gun and pointed it at the workers nearby who were frozen in place. "If any more of you run I will shoot you down."
That was when the sounds of an angry mob could be heard outside…
=0=TBC 12-01-19