The Diego Diaries: There and Back Again. Probably. (dd7 319)
=0=Ops Center with Prime
"You're a big baby. Loser."
Prowl sat back with a smug expression. "Whiner."
:Springer to Prime:
"Prime here," he said as he quashed a smirk.
:We're here. We can ship them when you want:
"Do so. We're sending a battleship. Change of plans. Put them there. Keep the Supremes free to assist the mission," Prime replied.
:Done deal. Springer out:
It was quiet a moment, then Ratchet rose. "I suppose I need to go there and patch slag."
"That's what we have medics for," Prowl said.
"But they don't have these," Ratchet said as he held up his red hands. "THESE MIRACLES OF SKILL AND MAGIC VEHICLES OF WELLNESS!" He smiled brilliantly.
Prime guffawed, then stifled himself.
Prowl glanced at him with a slight frown.
Ratchet curtsied to Prime, then skippity doo-dahed to the bridge room where he jumped over to Phobos and the newly streaming mechs who were zonked by the null rays of the Paradisio and Tennyson. It would soon be a rather silent madhouse. All of the slaggers were still off line.
=0=Polity
He stared at the screen as he watched the fleet he sent spiral out of control and slow to a stop. Communications was trying to contact them but there were no replies. The null rays had decimated their entire defense. He sat back as he ran through his options. It was clear that he didn't have any. Glancing at his second, he said, "Open a channel to Prime."
=0=Prime
"You have a call coming in." Blaster grinned at Prime.
"Place it through, Blaster," Prime said.
A grim faced Polity filled the forward screen. He stared at Prime coldly, then sat back casually. "So ..."
"You have my demands. They are neither changed nor negotiable," Prime replied.
It was tensely silent.
"You said you took down Razorclaw and Ominous. Did you then," he said rather than asked.
"Like we'd tell you," Ironhide muttered darkly.
"Then its a tactic … saying that," Polity replied.
"No. Its the truth but hey, perhaps you could come over and see the brig. We have his brothers. We'd have him, too, but some slagger taking his place might be less patient and smart," Raptor replied. He stood on the deck beside his father.
"They went off line shortly ago. I can assume that you were the cause of this happening?" Polity asked.
"You can assume what you want, Polity, but we are coming to check you out whether you cooperate or not," Optimus said coldly. "I am giving you thirty seconds to decide."
Polity was silent a moment. "I suppose my crews are forfeit along with the ships?"
"The ships are scrap. Your crews are in our brigs," Hard Drive said as he watched the big mech's processor working overtime. "You have no options. We will do what we came for. The rule with the Prime's sphere of influence is you stay in your place, don't harm anyone and don't recruit. If you do, then we have to take measures. Like now."
Polity stared at Hard Drive, someone he had met several times over the eons, then considered his spot. He was stuck. If he launched more ships, the same things would happen. "Your area here is the only place that one can come and not fall back into Decepticon territory"
"Then run back. Take your chances past the Bootes. Off yourself. Any of them work for me," Raptor said.
"I see you haven't changed, Raptor," Polity said. He glanced at Prime. "Very well."
Prowl stood, then turned to the monitor with the incandescent but admirably controlled high caste slagger staring at them. "You will disarm and lower your security defenses. Anyone who takes a shot will get ten back. We will fly over three times before leaving. If there is anything about your base that looks … untoward, then we're going to blow it up. I would clear any such structures now. We will give you a breem to do so if we find something that is improper equipment, etcetera in the Prime's sovereignty.
"You will be expected to make yourself a minimal problem and you will be called upon if you decide to increase your numbers. It won't be pleasant for you if we have to come. There are more items but this will do for now. Any questions?" Prowl asked with a crisp yet glacial tone.
Polity stared at him. "No, Prowl. I think that about does it."
"I do believe that your authority to command is at stake. If you decide to resurrect your cred, believe us when we say we will come," Hard Drive said.
It was silent a moment, then Prowl glanced at Prime. "We are go on your command."
Prime glanced at him, then Polity. "We are coming now. Do not test me, Polity. You will not like the outcome if you do. Prime out."
The screen went dead, then returned to the operational view.
Prowl turned to Prime. "I lied. Give us a few moments please."
Prime grinned faintly. Then he nodded. "General, make things so."
"As you command," Hardie said with a slight bow of his helm.
It would take a few moments, then the largest contingent of Seekers Polity had seen since the war and a large number of battle shuttles set out to scan them.
There was nothing he could do about it. It wouldn't sit well with this entitled high caste marauder as the gauntlet was thrown down between them.
=0=The prisoners
They came in with various bumps and bruises, the soldiers of Polity. Most of them still bore Deceptibrands, a tactic many used whether they were still in or out of the 'Cons. It helped keep the wolves from the door around the fringes of Decepticon territory. One never knew when you would run into someone from that faction.
Ratchet watched them, none of them injured enough to require his expertise. Finally, he walked to a box on the hangar deck and sat. As he did, he mused on his eldest/smallest sonny boy, Spud. He had a couple of kids at school poking at his speech. Even Roto didn't know about it. They'd talked and Roto was going to take care of it. Ratchet considered this problem and how it might last some distance. Apparently, Orion's pathways between audials and mouth were 'loopy'.
Science.
Spud had told him, more puzzled than hurt …
"I comed to them. They calleded me bad one."
"Because of your talking?" Ratchet had asked as he held Orion on his lap.
Orion nodded. "I talkeded good, me. I good me. I doin'. I camed to doin', I doin' dis and that … I good me?" he asked.
Ratchet hugged him tightly. "You are good. You are best. You are my boyfriend. Remember?"
Orion remembering how he said he was going to bond with Ratchet some fine or and show him a good time smiled immediately. "I DOIN"! Lou my she?"
"Forever. Today, tomorrow, forever," Ratchet said. He grinned at the little mech staring at him as he puzzled the idea of forever.
Orion hugged him, then leaned against Ratchet's chassis. "I good lou. Lou my she. I doin' good you. I good you." He sighed, then relaxed against the warmth that Ratchet sent that area. As he did, Halo jitterbugged in.
"What lou, Ada?" she asked with a giant smile. "Lou good me, too?"
Ratchet scooped her up, then settled her with Orion. "I good you forever, Halo."
Orion slipped his arm around Halo and pulled her close. "Lou my she, Hay-Ho."
Ratchet could have cried…
"What's up?"
Ratchet glanced up at Breakdown who was standing beside him. Ratchet patted the box. "Sit. I think it can hold both of us."
Breakdown chuckled. "Okay."
"How's Breakout?" Ratchet asked.
"He's amazing. He's smart. He goes to the Academy your kids go to but the one in Stanix. Its closer to our house." Breakdown grinned. "I don't have to face Miss Birdie."
"She's a pistol," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "And a bazooka."
"She comes in to train teachers but the kids love her so something is going on," Breakdown said.
"Someone told me that her aura is the thing. The kids read unconditional love or something," Ratchet replied. "When's the next one?"
Breakdown snickered. "Who knows? I told him to get fixed. He says maybe and acts like an aft."
"Sounds like a winner. The infant, that is. Not that rust bolt bond of yours. You should have let me fix you up. It would've been epic," Ratchet said.
"Maybe," Breakdown said. "I'm sort of his keeper."
"Need anymore advice about slagging his aft into submission?" Ratchet asked with a smile.
"Not right now but I'm always open," Breakdown said as they both roared with laughter.
Then runabouts from Tennyson flew to the hangar deck and landed to offload even more slaggers from Polity's now dented arsenal.
=0=Polity
They sat in their ops center silent and tense as the third pass by of the Prime's Seeker auditors made their slow progress. The rumble of sound waves and movement caused by them could be felt by these, some of the most energy savvy and sensitive beings in the universe.
He considered the loss of face he just had and knew that the troops wouldn't like it. But they liked him so they wouldn't rebel. They would itch for paybacks but that was for the future. Right now, they had to rebuild themselves and recruit even more mechs to come without detection for his armada.
"They're leaving," a hard core mech said from Sensors.
Polity nodded. "Good." He would sit and brood, consider this and that, then start again. Polity was a like a rat terrier concerning problems and logistical situations. He was, after all, the son of the largest corporate building family on Cybertron. Problems had solutions.
Paybacks were a bitch.
=0=Prime
He received the word that the last group of prisoners were gathered, treated and detained. The ships ahead listing here and there were ready to be destroyed. Prime considered the options, then grinned. "Optimus Prime to all large frames in the armada."
They pinged replies.
Prime glanced at Prowl. "Are there any of our people on site now?"
"No," Prowl replied. "All are either back and boarded or about to do so. The site is clear."
"Gentlemen and lady, please feel free to destroy the fleet ahead of us. It is clear and you have the all clear to fire at will." Prime would enjoy the snarky remarks over the intercom as he and everyone else listened to the slag fest that broke out among the titans over who got to shoot what. Everyone shot everything and the fireworks were amazing.
It was doubted that Polity agreed with that assessment but you never knew …
=0=The City, Mars
"We have a new bulletin from the Office of Strategic Communications," Aleph said. "We just received word that the mission to assess the capabilities of the three groups of Decepticon intruders went extremely well.
"We have lost zero casualties nor has there been fighting that might have led to injuries. The first two missions went flawlessly without a response from either Razorclaw nor Ominous. Apparently, the intruder known as Polity launched a battle group but was struck down when it entered space. All of the crews are prisoners of the Prime and will be placed in the prison when they arrive.
"Optimus Prime will be making an address to the Empire tomorrow at 1200 hours on the TMC. Until then, we will have to wait for further details. The fleet is currently gathering to bridge back to Mars where they will stand down. It is asked that you stay away from the Military Airfield when they arrive so that the ready-go fleet can be brought up to speed quickly and poised again on the flight line against emergencies.
"More details will be brought to you as they come in. For now, the mission was a rousing success and our army and air force handled themselves with their usual professionalism. We'll be right back after this."
=-0=Hoomins
Watching at The Family Tower, a group of adults and some children listened to the latest news. Cilia McLean relaxed in her chair. "I will be glad when Randolph returns. This is too much like when he was soldering for me. We've done that and I'm not doing it again."
Sarah Lennox grinned at Cila, Linda Graham's mother. She was rocking Aedh in the chair by the fireplace. "You tell him, Cila. Enough of this boy stuff."
"That's right," Cila said with a grin. "He has to help me sweep out the Basilica tomorrow, the loon."
"You've been talking to Prowl again," Judy Witwicky said. "Pass that baby over here. I want to hold one NOW! Sam! Did you hear me?"
"I'm sitting right next to you."
=-0=TBC 7-4-2020 7-7-2020
Take care out there. My niece is a nurse who is taking care of covid patients at our hospital. Wear masks, darlings. When you breathe out on a cold day, the frozen mist of your breath demonstrates that moisture leaves you when you talk or breathe. That's what the mask will prevent you for spreading, aerosol mists with covids in it. Hugs forever, all of you. :D:D:D