The Diego Diaries: Homeward (dd7 218)

=0=At the solar well

Prime watched the torpedo explode under the aim of the City of Helex's powerful shipboard guns. The space bridge spun onward but nothing more came from its powerful maw. The command deck was silent as they waited for Prime's decisions. Finally, he turned in his chair to look at Ratchet. "What is the condition of the titans from Cybertron, Ratchet?"

"They can go home, Optimus. They have nothing to worry about. I'm going to have them get their updates and ask for a few things to be checked. But its all normal work ups," Ratchet said as he signed to Prime.

Prime glanced at Prowl. "Please send them home with my compliments, Prowl. I am very proud of their performance. Please convey that to all of them."

Prowl nodded then sent the message as big mechs began to walk out of the elevator to join everyone on the bridge. Hammer of Primus who was stationed on Cybertron as a city provider walked in to stand beside Tennyson who he was 'shacked up with' according to Xantium in an apartment in Crater District #3 with Tenn when he was here in pretender gear. Ironhide's elders, Hard Drive and some of shuttle commanders such as Hercy and Kup still with them walked to the table, then leaned against consoles or sat in the few empty chairs around. He nodded to them. "Well done, gentlemen."

"Thanks, Prowl," Raptor said. "What's next?"

"We're sending the titans home to Cybertron with the Prime's compliments," Prowl said.

"What do you want to do about Cybertron and the Vergons? They have that location. It wouldn't take a lot of work to find this place, too," Hard Drive said. He looked at Prime who was cut in by Prowl to the conversation.

Prime sat back wearily. "We have to redesign our defenses to meet this threat. We also have to step up our efforts to move Cybertron and the local group."

"I'll get with Wheeljack and Perceptor, Optimus," Ratchet said. "We have a number of stars in mind, all of them within 100 light years of Mars. That's the outer most limits of our inner defensive ring, the best place to protect all of them, so we're looking hard."

Prime nodded. "It is a major task before us. We have to save all of our planets and Cybertron from any more attacks. That means we move eight of them. I would like you to be my point man on this issue, Ratchet."

Ratchet nodded, then glanced at Prowl. "Is there anything keeping us here now?" he asked.

Ratchet checked, then glanced at him. "No."

"Then we need to get to Autobot City and get you into the hospital, Prime. The longer you delay, the longer you will be down."

Prime stared at him with fatigue, then nodded. "Prowl, take us in. Let them know the bridge can close. Before they do, see if they can detect whether anyone is still on the other end. If they can, that is. I want that to be a project as well. If we open a bridge, I want to know if its possible to see if there will be trouble on the other end. It could be a way to prevent them taking advantage of us or maybe having that ability themselves. If they can do that, they can find us any time we open a bridge."

"I'm hoping, Optimus, that it would require us to be in their area before they can," Ratchet said as the bridge outside closed.

"They didn't detect anything at the other end, though they sent a small probe to the event horizon, then pulled it back when nothing was detected. They must have left to go back to Homeland and Sun Base. By the way, where are the three? Machlis, Fuller and Faber?" Prowl asked.

"They're in the brig of this ship," Raptor said. He glanced at Sun and Hard Drive who nodded. "I suppose they go to the brig in The Fortress or the solitary cells at the prison?"

"Have Gee-Gee pick them up and take them back to the prison," Prowl said. "I don't want them in harms way or talking together."

Raptor linked in at the Communications station to Gee-Gee and the Prison who were greeting a new day on Mars. He glanced at everyone. "Its 0900 at the colony."

"I'm starving. We can eat when we get everyone who's hurt fixed up," Ratchet said as they began to pass forward bases on their way to the fourth planet in the system. "Who gets to talk to the colony and how do you want to handle your injuries, Prime?"

Optimus considered that, then Prowl spoke for him. "I want him taken to the hospital by runabout. No sense parading him. The colony will be spooked enough already. As for the release of information … Jazz can handle that through the Office of Strategic Communications. I'll personally speak to your injuries, Optimus," Prowl said as he glanced at Prime. "We can keep this level and calm if we work together."

Ratchet walked to the console to lean over Raptor. He sent a call to the Medical Center. "Ratchet to Emergency Intake."

:Binder here, Ratchet:

"Hi, Binder," Ratchet said as he repeated a pun that he liked. He heard Binder chuckle at the other end. "We need a runabout to take someone to the emergency room. Its not a Level 1 priority. More a Level 3. Could you have it waiting on one of the ancillary strips at the number two Big Frame Yard? We'll be there shortly."

:Will do. Binder out:

"Hi, Binder?" Jack asked as he lounged next to Steiner and Sun at the conn. "Is there a joke there?"

"Its a pun on his name," Ratchet said. "A high binder on Earth is someone who's a Chinese assassin or a person without scruples. Like a politician," he said with a dazzling smile. "I love to tease him about it."

Snickers were had as the ship flew past the Saturn Shipyard which looked a bit naked without Trigger 3 in stationary orbit there. The space station being built there for the humans which would be positioned between Mars and Earth was nearly finished they could see as they slid past in formation. The titans who had been with them from Cybertron were at that moment bridging there by their own power as the group followed Tennyson and Clipper.

"Prowl to Big Frame Shipyard 2," he said.

A moment passed, then they answered. :Big Frame Shipyard 2, Commander. This is Roadie:

"Roadie, we have to have a full systems check and upgrade for Clipper. He's coming in after a strike from an energy weapon. We'd be interested in him being brought to optimal before he resumes station," Prowl said.

:Understood. Is Commander Ratchet with you?: Roadie asked.

"Ratchet here, Roadie," he said.

:Commander, we have the mobile units ready for you when you bring the titans out of their locked condition: Roadie said. :There's been shorts down the line from the main junction at Metroplex. The overload of that mech, considering he was sitting on the main routing site for energy at that station, the primary one for half of Autobot City caused a cascade back to some of the buildings in the area. The business center where your genitors work was downed but its on auxiliary power until the electrical is finished being replaced. I just thought you might want to know. No one was hurt but they were out of business for a couple of orns. It happened with Retriarius as well because he sits on a major power junction, too:

"Thanks, Roadie. I'll call both of them in a moment. Given what we have to do, this won't complicate things. This is not part of that," Ratchet said. "Have the mobile teams ready for me about 1600. I have a surgery to take care of first, then we can bring the big frames up. They won't be a hard retrieval, though there'll be a lot of replacement work. Are the mechs I trained ready to go? Is Fabrication-Medical ready to supply what we might need? Have them check the catalog regarding processor and electronic parts and units. Send me any questions you have. I'll gather a general list and send it to you and them."

:Okay. I checked against this possibility and they are. I am, too: Roadie said. :We'll be ready at your call:

"Thanks, Roadie. Ratchet out," he said as he glanced at Prime. "You first, big boy."

Prime stared at Ratchet with a baleful expression as the red glory of Mars began to appear on the forward monitors. In moments, they were in high orbit over the planet.

Prowl stared at the line up, then called out the descent with the Flight Center at Fortress Maximus directing his orders now that it was up and at them again on generators and emergency machines made just for this sort of thing. "This is Prowl. The battleships, cruisers and shuttles may leave formation. Descend under direction of the Flight Center. You are released from duty. All Seekers are released from duty as well and may exit as you wish."

As they watched, hatch doors opened on the battleships and cruisers as flights of Seekers jumped out, transformed, then flew toward the ground together or alone. In seconds, they were gone. The ships they were part of began to descend.

"What about the Seekers on Clipper?" Prowl asked as he glanced at Ratchet.

"We got them up. I saw a few of them leave just now. I have them on orders to report to the Med Center in Aerie Hill or I'll flatten them. They were suitably intimidated," Ratchet said with a brilliant smile. He subbed a small version of his caste iron frying pan and held it up.

"You carry a frying pan?" Prowl said with surprise.

Ratchet who held it up with one servo as he smiled at Prowl turned it to the back. Inscribed on its surface was Ironhide's name. Huge laughter greeted that as he subbed it again.

Prowl who grinned nodded with agreement. "Good idea. I want to be there when you tell him he didn't have to be in the hospital this long."

"It serves him right. I'm sure he did something that fragged me off some time or another to earn this. 'Just in case' as I call it." Ratchet grinned. "I have to put a servo on Lissie so it was good of him to keep her company all this time, the slagger. He probably owes her, too."

"You're going to be busy," Raptor said. "I'll be glad when Lissie has her calligraphy back. Its sort of famous in the colony now among the younger femmes. It sort of looks like that henna stuff that the humans do."

"I've seen that. Its beautiful. I love her old fashioned work. It's hard to find someone who still knows how to do that, especially in Primal Vernacular like hers," Prowl said as he put through more orders. "Omega, you, Kappa and Beta are cleared to go with the appreciation of the Prime."

:Release acknowledged:feelings mutual: Omega said with his deep voice.

Outside, the three behemoth Supreme vessels began to leave orbit to descend to the planet below. As they did, Prowl glanced at Tennyson. "Tennyson, would you mind filling Clipper's place near Caminus until he's back online. It shouldn't take too long, right, Ratchet?"

"Right," Ratchet said.

"I would be honored," Tennyson said like a gent, which he was.

"I'd like everyone to switch over to Clipper. We can go down with him while you go to Caminus, Tennyson," Prowl said.

Everyone began to gather to go but the skeleton crew that would come back with Tennyson through the bridge when he reached Caminus. A youngster from the Home Guard detailed to the humans picked up the "Gerbil Cage' to go with them.

Prowl and Ratchet turned to Prime who stood up wearily. It was clear that he'd injured his left arm and right leg, perhaps even his hip during the tumble. He also had wounds to be fully treated which bore field patches also earned at Nova Cronum. He limped forward as Prowl took his arm. Prowl had stuffed a satchel with his stuff, then glanced at Ratchet. "Could you get my tote bag please?"

Ratchet nodded, took the bag, then watched Prime as he limped toward the elevator. The others followed as they reached the transport that would take them by ship bridge to Clipper. When they were clear, Tennyson and the remaining crew bridged away in a blast of light.

Entering the hangar deck from one of the seven bridges large and small that a fully mature dreadnought carried, not counting their innate ability to teleport their entire body anywhere they wanted to go, Prowl directed Prime to sit on a crate near a huge array of ships and runabouts hanging from release hooks overhead. "Prowl to Clipper. You are good to go."

:Understood, Prowl:

The vast ship after a chat with the Flight Center at Fortress Maximus began to make a slow descent to head for the Big Frame Ship Yard #2 that was fifteen Cybertronian miles away from the farthest reaches of the colony where a ship like Clipper could land without destroying everyone and everything around including himself. As he inched his way over the colony at an altitude that wouldn't disturb anyone below, two things happened.

First, everyone, human and Cybertronian marveled at the sight as the shadow of a ship so vast that nothing would ever do it justice floated slowly overhead. It was clear that a civilization that could build vessels like this, sentient ones to boot could easily move planets. Secondly, Machlis, Fuller and Faber were marched from the brig to the hangar deck where they would join the others for a ride back to The City.

It would be a very awkward moment for everyone.

=0=TBC 2-25-2020 for optimusprime101. :D 2-26-2020 4-1-2020

XO, :D