The Diego Diaries: Divergence (dd7 189)
=0=Ops Center, Homeland
Prime considered the situation, then glanced at Blaster. "How far away are the signals, Blaster? Out of the range of easily listening?"
Blaster checked his data, then nodded. "They bridged far enough away to reconnoiter, far enough that they think we can't easily hear."
"Can we?" Ratchet asked.
"Not without putting more listening devices out here, those designed for deep space. Someone has a bead on our tech as well as its limitations. Homeland and Sun Base have good tech but its dated given they haven't been around us and our innovations since The Fall. They and the aliens are utilizing first and second generation tech," Blaster said.
"Please check to see if we can intercept their conversations," Prime said. "They will recognize my name but I am hoping that they understand that these colonies are ours and thereby I am here to scrutinize them as one would."
"I might be able to link up the Supremes to boost the reach of our listening ability." It was silent a moment, then Blaster glanced at Prime. "We have a priority one message from Cybertron."
Everyone sat up straighter.
"Put in on," Prime said.
:Hound to Prime:
"Prime here," he said.
:Prime, we have a large group coming in to Nova Cronum. They don't acknowledge our hails and they seem determined to land at the Old Airfield there:
"On my way, Hound. Prowl will call up a group to meet the threat. Remove everyone who is non-essential personnel from the base, move everyone from the base camp out of there. How far away is the refugee camp?"
:Three miles, Prime. What do you want on the ground?: Hound asked grimly.
"Bring in the Alpha teams, all three of them and have them inside the buildings that front the Old Airfield. No one is to act without my orders. What is the size and configuration of the group?" Prime asked as he walked toward the door with most of those in the room who were senior staffers.
:Scans indicate a large and powerful group, Prime. Four to five battleships, an unknown number of support vessels including cruisers, battle shuttles and up to 200 Seekers. They all look hardcore and there could be up to three ship boarding crews if the intel on the group's details are accurate:
Prime paused at the elevator. "Blackjack, have Hard Drive come to manage this situation. Stay with him in case of operational response. Keep me in the loop. The rest of you, come with me." Prime headed out with the others running for a vessel nearby and a bridge jump to Nova Cronum through Omega Supreme.
Blackjack watched him go as he internally called for his grandfather to come. "Frag. I'm always in the wrong place at the wrong time." When Hardie walked off the shuttle, he waited, then both entered the building to watch a point in space that could bode ill for everyone here.
Or not.
=0=Cybertron
They stepped out at the Citadel in Iacon, then walked to a shuttle parked and waiting outside. Entering, they raised up to fly north to Nova Cronum, one of the biggest airbases on Cybertron. It was also the site of a huge refugee camp, a smaller one on base for essential civilian employees and their families as well as a lot of the Cybertronian arsenal located in this hemisphere. They passed ships that had lifted off to go around the other side of Cybertron out of the way of any battles to come, but also available to fight if needed.
The shuttle landed behind the main flight control center and as it did Prime jumped out along with the rest and began to hoof it to the tall tower nearby. In they went where they were greeted by Turbine who was commander of the district where Nova Cronum was located. His own office was centered here at this, a powerful place for the military and relief effort. It was a warehouse of a lot of mechanical parts and machinery that was servicing the rebuild world wide.
"What do you want to do about this, Prime? They aren't answering our calls," Turbine said as they walked into the operational center together.
"You have called? They understand that Cybertron is ours?" Prime said as they gathered around the command table.
Prowl sat, pulled up screens, then began to plan.
"We broadcast your message. Usually we either get direct surrender and an asking of terms or some kind of argument. We got nothing from this group," Turbine said.
Prime turned to the communications tech. "Please hook me in." He glanced at Turbine. "Please call Starscream and Rainmaker to come for the Seeker portion of this, Turbine."
Turbine walked to a computer nearby and sent a text message while the youngster at Communications worked his console, then nodded to Prime. "You're in, sir."
Prime considered the lights on the huge situational datapad making their way toward the brighter light of Cybertron through the many levels of security that ringed their planet and the local group. They were crossing into the second security ring. Guns on platforms and lots of sensors were reading them, taking data but no one blocked them as yet. "Unknown group, this is Nova Cronum Flight Control. Identify yourself."
There was no answer. The ships appeared to speed up, their course never wavering. It was perplexing.
"I don't know why they won't acknowledge, Optimus," Turbine said with a slight grin. "Slaggers probably haven't heard what has happened or they're a renegade group coming in for trouble. They won't be the first."
"Then we need to be ready for them. I do not want to have a shoot out in space. I want them in one place without the ability to run. They could break out in all directions and some of our local group are not equipped to be overrun and held hostage. Let them come down and we can take them here." He glanced at Turbine. "Disperse all the alpha teams around the airfield but out of sight, all of them. Have Tennyson and Typhoon bridge in on the other side of the planet away from view and dampen any chance their signature might be detected. Have them await my call."
Turbine walked to tactical and sat. He worked on the orders as Prime watched the many lights get closer. They would be here in short time the rate they were going. Right now, he weighed putting out a defense or letting them come when a voice over the intercom could be heard.
"This is battle group Desolation. I am coming to Nova Cronum. I want to speak to Shockwave," it said.
Prime glanced at Ironhide who shrugged.
"That slagger is behind the times," Ironhide said.
"Send him a text message that he's cleared to Nova Cronum," Prime said to Prowl.
"What kind of fragger this late in the game asks for Shockwave?" Sun asked as Jack nodded. They stood by Sensors waiting for orders.
"The teams are here," Prowl said as he sent the message to the battle group. It was a text giving them permission to come to the base and land.
"Ironhide, you, Sun and Jack set up the defense," Prime said.
The three nodded, then marched out to the airfield nearby where the battle group would be landing.
Ratchet walked to the table and sat down beside Prowl. "What do you suppose they are going to do here? They don't know that Shockwave is out of the game. They must have been in deep space for a while. What's the deal with them?"
"I don't know," Turbine said. "Maybe they're privateers, not regular army. Megatron had them in his army as well. Maybe they've been out of the loop so long they don't know things are changed. Have we received anything from them?"
The communications mech watched the data, then glanced at Turbine. "They acknowledged their orders and are complying. They've shifted their path toward us. If they stay on it they will arrive in half a breem."
"This is perplexing," Prowl said as Rainmaker, Warlord and Starscream walked into the room.
"You called?" Starscream asked with his usual smirk.
"We have a situation. A battle group is coming in with 200 Seekers and they don't seem to understand that we're under new management here," Ratchet said. "That they have 200 Seekers indicates to me that they haven't been here for some time."
Rainmaker considered that. "It would make more sense than not," he said. "What's the plan?"
Everyone gathered around the command table troubleshooting a plan. It was a difficult thing to put together given the oddity of the circumstances but they managed, then everyone waited for the control tower to signal them in to land.
=0=Around the area
They came through the bridge bearing their weapons and grim faces. The Autobot soldiers were divided up and placed in the warehouses and administrative buildings that surrounded the airfield. It was dark as ever but the area was swathed in massive light installations which could render the area into near daylight. Right now, the lights were cut back in every area but the airfield itself. No sense drawing fire if you could avoid it.
Springer, Drift, the twins and Bluestreak looked out the windows of an administrative building that bordered the road that ran around the huge airfield. They had clear fields of vision of their side of the area.
"What's the word so far?" Sideswipe asked as he stood by a window with his rifle.
"Nothing much but they're coming and it sounds like a boatload of ships," Springer said. "They're going to hold them in orbit, allowing only a few to come down at a time. Hopefully, the entire group won't come at omce and slag us from here to eternity."
"From your pie hole to Primus's audials," Sunstreaker said as he sighted in his scope. "Bring it, slaggers," he said softly.
=0=Around them
They trucked everyone away who'd be a target if they stayed. A lot of soldiers from the base, all of them veteran for the most part were held to wait in four areas around the landing zone. The camp which was part of the base where workers and their families lived to be in proximity to their jobs was emptied. Buildings were also emptied as the base was cleared of anyone and everyone who could be a target or hostage.
Roads were blocked off halting all traffic in and out and half a mile away in all directions the civilian population was moved away. They went in trucks, on their own wheels or walked. Guards were posted to prevent their return until the all clear was made. It was a large number of individuals who walked and drove away from their work and living sites.
In moments the area of problematic possibilities shrank as the base began to become a ghost town.
=0=Homeland
"Any word on what they're saying?" Blackjack asked as he sat beside his grandfather at the command table.
"Not yet, 'Jack," Blaster said as he worked to amplify the radio traffic just out of easy reach. They'd hooked in the Supremes and were boosting the signal toward something more intelligible. He could hear words here and there but nothing complete.
Yet.
=0=Cybertron
They came into the primary circle of security as they passed the last beacons. The entire group was being scrutinized by a flight of Seekers that Rainmaker had dispatched to fly past them as if heading out on a mission. Their information was coming to Prowl at Ops Center at the base.
"We have preliminary data. There are five battleships, four cruisers, three heavy fighter-carriers, a number of support ships and a squadron of Seekers flying at point. The few plans we have in the computer databases indicate that this group, Desolation left to go to the farthest frontier past the Rim and scavenge. They're privateers. They have a mix of regular army, criminal elements, pirates and other trash," Prowl said with a frown. "They work directly for Megatron which explains their arrogance and they have no discipline to any degree which means they won't give up without a fight. It would appear that they don't know about Cybertron and they mean to come in."
Prime considered that. "I want major deterrent, Prowl. I want battle shuttles here. I want so much fire power pointed at them that they surrender to survive."
"They probably won't," Raptor said. "Given the type of mech we have here, this looks like a shoot out."
"I have no doubt but I know once they touch down that their flexibility to fight with their ships is cut to a minimum. Bring every Wrecker that we have and have Springer field command them. Put them around the area with the Alpha teams. They are under my overall command and will follow the plan. I do not want any dead heroes but I do need shipboarding crews and heavy fire power."
Ratchet stood. "I'll tell him," he said walking to the door. He was out of the room in seconds.
:Desolation battle group to Nova Cronum Flight Control. We are approaching Cybertron. What is the order of landing?: a heavy duty voice asked. It was different than the first one. Who they both were, no one knew.
Yet.
=0=TBC 1-22-2020
NOTES! :D
Silverhornd chapter 188 . 4h ago
Love the chapter. Now I wont a baby Yoda too. Question since the aliens have the autobots tech could they take over using a virus or something like they did in the movie independence day.
ME: You and me both. Love me some baby Yoda. That might be a good idea. I know that they keep good virus stuff going in canon books and such. I am putting that on the idea file. It might be a good weapons for the bots to use on someone. :D:D:D HUGS!
moosekababs chapter 188 . 21h ago
Aww, no, cog! Theres a million other guys you could fixate on, why you gotta bother springer? Also, its apparent that the Hur-Gon don't have great memories. you'd think they'd remember a name like Optimus Prime, especially after he blew up two planets laden with technology they could have picked over. I guess not, though! Too bad for them.
ME: The Wreckers were always making alliances with all manner of losers to make things happen. It makes me laugh to think he has a 'fan'. LOL! I love Drift losing his cool. :D
The aliens are discussing this now. :D More to come on that.
Somebody get prowl and ratchet some coffee! :P Why do i feel like the baby yoda dolly is gonna take off the same way that Spot took off, and Horses took off... ? Our Ironhide is a trendsetter!
ME: BWAHAHA! Ironhide is isn't he? Baby Yoda dollies that actually work on drone tech. I WANT ONE! NOW! HUGS! :D:D:D
Fancyspiner chapter 187 . Jan 21
It was a cute little interlude. I imagine the shits going to hit the fan now? :-) Thank you so much.
ME: You are so welcome, Miss Fancy! HUGS! :D:D
Pandora chapter 186 . Jan 20
I have another song for you to listen to. The album's name is Spirit of
The Highlands The Band of the Scots Guards And Pipers from F
Company Scots Guards, they do a beautiful rendition of Amazing
Grace
ME: I love that. Have you heard them play Last of the Mohicans? I remember when their version of Amazing Grace hit the top ten radio lists. I love bagpipe music. My cousins play and teach it. :D:D HUGS!
guest chapter 185 . Jan 19
If memory serves me right, Prime still has two captives from their first encounter with the alien consortium in the beginning of part six. And I think they hold the monster guys too, Hish or the other. It has been like five years since we heard from them, but I assume they are still alive... (Although they might have gone mad if they are kept confined underground.) Wonder what the humans would say if they heard about these guys?
ME: I'm going back to check on that. I remember going to alien by myself because it was a movie about aliens. I crawled out on my hands and knees after it was over. LOL! Thanks for the suggestions. I will check. :D:D:D HUGS