The Diego Diaries: All Around the Watch Tower (dd7 274)
=0=Ops Center shortly later that next morning
Ironhide walked in with a hold full of kids. He was joined by Ratchet who was going to bridge to Prima Station following the meet up. Paragon was already there with Prowl, Prime and Hard Drive. Starscream, Warlord and Rainmaker followed Ironhide. "What's up?" Ironhide asked.
"Have a seat," Prowl said as he scanned a number of internal data feeds that he was processing for updated information.
Everyone sat, then waited patiently.
"We have a big battle group coming across the Bootes and they're just outside of our range. I asked for and got a Seeker flyby, just a flash and return with deep data scanning. It would appear that the group is huge, possibly as many as fifty ships in the convoy of all manner and types. A group like that can have as many as 100,000 soldiers. There were no Seekers with them so the messaging is getting out there." Prowl glanced at Rainmaker and Starscream.
"The latest intel from the private messaging lines indicate that Seekers are leaving the Decepticons and gathering together to figure out how to leave and to protect everyone. Most of them are behind enemy lines and the breakout would be costly. They have a lot of their elders, family and children with them," Rainmaker said as Starscream nodded. He held Dart on his lap. "We expect that the time will come when we can locate and bridge them out but the exact coordinates are not known. We do know that it entails tens of thousands of our people."
Everyone took a moment to grasp that, then Ratchet leaned back. "I think Jetta has a new objective. The expansion out past your borders in Aerie Hill will be a beautiful repeat of your district."
"I think so," Starscream said. "Terraced housing developments appear to be optimal for us."
Rainmaker nodded. "The intel showed no Seekers but it showed a lot of troop carriers, a number of cruisers, three big battleships and an unknown number of support ships. That was the part we could see. We're estimating fifty ships and the aforementioned types but it was a very long line of march and it could be that there's much more. He's smart, this leader to group his armada in such a manner. You can't take out more than a section before you get swarmed by another."
I was afraid of that," Prowl said. He considered the data. "We have to know more. We have to show the flag as hard as we can. I don't know if they're heading around the back way to go to Cybertron. We can't assume that everyone knows that its fallen to us. We have to get a bead on this commander and study his tactics. He's obviously persuasive to have such a big group. That's about all we know."
"Do we have a bead on their frequencies? I would like to pay my respects," Optimus said with a cool tone. "I think perhaps its time to find out who this mech is."
Prowl rose to walk to the communications station nearby. He sat and began to work.
"I suppose this means we're going to have trouble," Rainmaker said as he considered the problem. "It might due us some good to do flash scanning from all angles of their flight path. If they think we come only from one direction they might figure out where we are. If we burst from bridges from all manner of directions we can keep them guessing and build a broader map of their armada."
Prime nodded. "I would like a plan, Elder, when you have it constructed. The sooner we figure this out, the faster we can plan for anything that might come of it. It is not out of the realm of possibility that they are coming to meet up with Razorclaw or Ominous."
"Those slaggers are at least contained. Having more ships and a 100,000 more soldiers is a step up. Both slaggers would want that. It all depends upon who the commander is and who's on his staff."
Prime nodded, then glanced at Prowl who turned toward them. "Did you connect?"
"I did," Prowl said. "Perhaps everyone moving away from the cameras would be good tactics. No sense showing him our entire hand right away."
Everyone rose, then moved out of sight of the camera that would be focused on Prime. It would look like any other building he could be occupying to the other side when the image was sent. Nothing would be given away by doing so.
The screen flickered, then an image appeared. It was static-filled, then cleared. A handsome mech of some size gazed placidly at Prime from the deck of a ship. He was sitting on the ubiquitous 'throne' that all Decepticons had for command seats. It was clear he was tough, had a very good and well kept paint scheme and wasn't going to speak first.
Prime considered him, working through his voluminous files for the slagger's image. It would take a while. He would be beaten by Prowl who was hooked into all the Teletraans in their system, both Mars and Cybertron. Prime sat back. "Do you have a name?"
The figure who stared at him with amber optics considered the request. "I would prefer yours first."
His voice was quiet and cultured, a voice of tightly controlled power and authority. He was slightly unreadable, slightly unknowable and looked intelligent. He was a high caste mech, educated and dominating.
"My name is Optimus Prime. I am assuming you will not insult my intelligence by acting surprised," Prime replied.
"No," the figure said. "I won't. I would like to know the reason for your communication. We aren't on the same side as you well know."
"There is no side to belong to," Prime said. "The war is over."
The figure listened and gave it a moment's thought.
As he did, Paragon walked to Prowl and they communicated off line.
Prime noted it but didn't respond.
"The war is over? Then Megatron is dead," the figure said.
"That part is debatable. The parts that are not are simple. Cybertron is under my control along with the local group. Shockwave is imprisoned in stasis. The inner empire is surrendered and under my command. The Decepticons surrender every orn and they are now part of my own armada. I have at my command over 4,200 metro titan mechs and 11 dreadnought vessels. They serve both my colony here and Cybertron. That does not count the half dozen Supreme vessels that are also under my command. No one comes into my sovereign space without permission." Prime's tone fell into ice. "I do not give it to you."
The figure stared at him for several seconds. He considered the information just given. "You would have me believe all of that?"
"I do not care what you believe. I am warning you that this is so. Perhaps I can send a few dreadnoughts your way to underscore my veracity," Prime said.
:Optimus, this mech is named Polity. He's very bad news: Prowl said as he sat at Communications directing the messaging.
Paragon was equally grim faced as he stood beside Prowl.
"That might be an option, Prime. I am crossing this barren space to make my way toward a destination of my own choosing. I am aware that other Decepticons forces have passed through here. I am hoping you might have seen them. At least three of them are friends of mine," the mech said.
"You are forbidden to come into my sovereignty, Polity. If you do, the fury of my response will be biblical," Prime said. He stared at the mech as his translators worked on his remarks.
"I am not sure what biblical means, Prime, but I can guess," he responded. "Kudos on you for knowing who I am. Most don't. I suppose that means we can't be friends?"
"You suppose properly," Prime replied. "I, however, am ready to become your worst enemy."
"Remakes noted. Polity out."
The transmission ended.
It was silent a moment, then Prowl turned to Paragon. "I suppose there's a story here?"
Paragon glanced at Prowl, then the others. He nodded. "There is."
=0=Moments later
They sat in the conference room together. The door was closed and they were free to talk. Paragon looked grim faced as he gathered his thoughts. Everyone else sat patiently waiting. He glanced at Prime. "I know Polity. He was sort of my nemesis. I rather was after Prowl's job," he said as he grinned sheepishly at Prowl. "I rather liked the work."
"You and me both," Prowl said with a slight grin of his own.
Paragon glanced at Prime again. "Polity and I knew each other in school. His family was high caste and the usual. They were industrialists and his grandgenitors were highly placed in trade organizations that promoted Cybertronian goods galaxy wide. There was a lot of talk about fronting gun running and forbidden tech."
Prime glanced at Prowl. "Call in Magnus if he can come, Prowl."
Prowl did, then they all turned back to Paragon.
"We were never friends. Frenemies perhaps. It rather described us. We were always after the same ends. Neither of us were especially diligent about how we went about getting it. It made for a tension that still exists. Then things took a turn for the worse." The expression on Paragon's handsome face became something cold and hard. "I bonded with Arrow. It wasn't done then especially for high castes and careerists like me. Arrow thought that I didn't have to tell anyone. I told him that would never happen. Bonds across formats were rare then especially when it was also across castes."
"True, that" Starscream said. "A Seeker bonding with anyone but a Seeker was news but with a high caste? Unthinkable then, though it was a step up for a grounder that you did, Pari." Starscream smirked at the big mech who grinned back at him.
"Considering it was Arrow, I will agree with you. I never wanted to hide it and I will tell you it shot a hole in my career that never recovered before the war. I never got the assignments that I wanted and the mechs who would have that decision always told me it was because of Arrow." He glanced at all of them with concern. "I would like your word that Arrow never hears that. He already believes that but confirmation would be hurtful."
"You have our word, Paragon," Prime said.
He relaxed a bit. "We competed, he was smart, patient, a good student of military tactical history and ruthless. Its impossible to tell you enough, Optimus, how ruthless this slagger is. He also has the smarts and skills to be as dangerous as he seems. When the war came we chose up sides. I went with Arrow because he was a Seeker and his people went with Starscream and the Elder. I rose through the ranks in the Cause but Polity was always there competing for the same thing. Sometimes I'd win, sometimes he would. There was always the threat to Arrow hanging over us during that time.
"When things began to fall apart I took my battle group and left. Others joined. They came because I treated the ranks well. I can't tell you I was a saint then. Good treatment makes loyalty and effort toward my goals, but being with Arrow made a lot of changes in me. I changed." He was silent a moment. "Disclosing things is fragged."
Prowl smirked. "I think you're doing champion work. Do continue."
Paragon glanced at this, an unlikely good friend. "As you command."
Snickers broke the tension a bit as Paragon continued. "We had a run in. We both wanted the same thing … the contents of a depot that would allow us to take a deep space ride, one that brought us here. We won. He lost. He told me that he'd chase me into the Pit to get even. I checked the route he's taking. It follows mine. I know there could be coincidences to explain that but knowing him, he's on my trail."
Prime considered that. "Well, too bad for him."
Ratchet snickered. "Well said, Messiah of the People."
"I think we need to think about this mech and what he represents. I need more intel on him and his group, Elder, Starscream," Prime said. "I think we need to show him that to enter my domain is to know the meaning of suffering."
Hard Drive grinned. "Well said."
They sat together parting out the plan as Ultra Magnus joined them and as they did Optimus Prime raised the threat level for Mars and the Cybertronian Empire to Level Three.
=0=TBC 5-6-2020