The Diego Diaries: Cloudy (dd7 388)
=0=Out there
"Commander, we have a message from Polity," another Home Guardsman said.
"Put it through," Prowl replied.
He did.
"This is Prowl."
:Prowl, this is Polity. We have Xylon on our sensors. We intend to fight:
"You may but phase six mechanisms are awfully hard to disable on a good orn let alone kill. You can unload your arsenal against him and he will still pursue you," Prowl replied calmly.
The humans in the travel box watched the group, Prowl in the command chair while Ratchet, Ironhide and Optimus sat nearby watching tensely. It was perplexing. "This is weird. Something is wrong," Will Lennox said.
"I agree," Ron Witwicky said. "This feels … off."
The others nodded.
:You're here. We see you on sensors. You brought an impressive group. Again: Polity sounded controlled but rage-filled.
"You expected differently? I figured you learned the error of that kind of thinking last time," Prowl replied.
:I want to know what your plan is. Are you here to take out Xylon? Where's Prime?:
:We're here to deter him from us and if that means he goes to you, then it was nice knowing you, Polity," Prowl replied dryly.
:He could very well come here, take over and turn it on you. I wouldn't be so smug if I were you:
Prowl considered the anger in Polity's tone. "Given the arsenal that we command, it has little to do with smugness." Prowl glanced at the sensors. "What's the standing of Polity's battle group?"
Mirage turned to him. "Its all he's got minus a few things that are probably still smoldering."
Prowl turned toward the forward screen where lights of everyone were projected on a map of local space. Xylon was closing in on Polity. "I suppose you want an alliance of convenience?"
:I wouldn't say no: The voice was dark but pragmatic. The odds were greatly against Polity even if he was at full strength which he wasn't.
"We're here to either take him out or run him off. As for you … consider surrender or leaving this space altogether. You know I'm here with a dreadnought and I have many at my command. So ..." Prowl said grimly. "What's your answer?"
:I have little choice: Polity replied. His voice was tight with vengeance and rage. :Help me take this fragger out and we leave here:
Prowl glanced at Tennyson. "I give overall battle command to you, Commander."
Tennyson nodded, then with the others in tow, he walked to Tactical to sit and plug in. "I am ready when you are, Commander."
Prowl nodded. "I'm sending you coordinates, Polity, for your group to form up. We will carry the battle if it commences and you'll watch instructively. Understood?"
It was silent a moment, then the dark voice was back. :Understood:
Prowl glanced at Blaster. "Send him these coordinates, Blaster. Then open a channel to Xylon."
Blaster's digits flew, then he turned to Prowl with a nod. "You're open."
Prowl turned back to the forward screen. "Xylon, this is Prowl, sub-commander to the Prime of Cybertron and commander of the fleet that came with me. Acknowledge."
:Hello, Prowl: a masculine voice said. It was softer than most and had a darkness that was hard to explain to anyone who hadn't heard it. This mech had allowed molten steel made from the metallic detritus of the event horizon of a black hole to be placed directly onto his body. It had to cool as well on his body causing it to fuse on tightly, something that took longer than seemed endurable.
Given his violent tendencies and his ease with murder and assault, given his mental deficiencies and proclivity to be an unstable personality over all, it wasn't hard to imagine him doing terrible things to others. He was a mental case at best. :You brought along a few friends, I see. Nice ships. I'm aware of the shuttles, just so you know:
"Why are you here?" Prowl asked calmly as the blinking light continued onward.
:I came to take care of unfinished business. I came to see what was going on. I heard that Cybertron was overtaken and rising from the grave. I'm going there after I finish up here. As for right now, I have a meeting with Polity planned. You're going to have to wait in line:
Prowl glanced at Ratchet. "Nut case?" he asked.
Ratchet nodded, then rose to walk to Prowl. "He's mental, violent, has no detectable empathy for others, breaks things for sport and profit … a typical psychopathic unstable personality. You know the kind. We produced a lot of them over the vorns."
Prowl nodded. "I think I'm done talking with him. Open the channel, Blaster."
He nodded to Prowl.
"Xylon, or shall I say Rotor?"
:Prowl, or shall I call you Sentinel's frag toy?:
It was instructive the expression on Prowl's face that lasted a nanosecond before disappearing behind a cold mask of intensity, the usual battle face of the Prowler. He sat back. "You have seconds to leave or we're going to unload upon you, Rotor. I have no preference either way. Actually, eliminating you makes my life easier. Its less paperwork."
Ratchet watched the molten offense of Prowl held tightly in his steel control. It was amazing to him how Prowl hasn't broken a mainspring somewhere in his carcass before this.
:I have a visit to pay. You have no jurisdiction over me. Don't make me your enemy, Prowl. I guarantee you won't like it:
Prowl stared at the screen as Xylon closed on Polity. "Tennyson, unload your arsenal into this fragger. Springer and shuttle fleet."
:Here: They all checked in.
"Stand back. Way back," Prowl said.
It was quiet as Tennyson's metallic sounding voice echoed all over the ship. Faint rumbles could be felt as massive missiles were loaded. When all was ready, Tennyson ordered them to fly. :Missile bays, all is go: his voice was heard to say even as he sat unmoving and unmoved in his chair nearby. He was all machine business when protecting his people. :Acquire assigned targets and nullify:
:Affirmative: a voice, that of the drone Master of Armaments replied over the comm system.
The ship shuddered faintly, then a good dozen massive missiles launched from bays all over the place. They streaked forward heading toward the blinking light that would have Polity's group nearly in sight. They fled forward, converged on the light, then slammed into each other and it to explode in a fury of light everyone could see on the bridge of Tennyson. It was spectacular.
Prowl watched it as the data flooded in, then glanced at Tactical. "Scan for his debris. Shuttles?"
They checked in.
"Go and scan for him, any part of him that can be found. Go as a group and be careful," Prowl said.
"Affirmative," Springer replied as the shuttle group began to form up and speed toward the drifting field of energy. It would take a moment to get close enough for deeply detailed sensor and visual scans.
Prowl stared at the screen as he watched them comply. His place was the command table not the chair. Optimus was watching him nearby and he felt the burn. :Are you alright?: he asked.
:I am fine. Are you?: Orion asked. Prowl had just ordered the death of someone who was overall terribly bad. It was a strange thing for him and his personal beliefs about the sanctity of life. In a different place, he would have done what Prowl just did. He was very sobered by it.
It was silent a moment, then Tennyson turned to Prowl from Tactical and Fire Control. "I am not picking up any debris from Xylon, Prowl."
Prowl glanced at him, then nodded curtly. "Keep looking, Tennyson. What is the possibility that he was disintegrated?"
"Possible but not likely. It takes a lot to remove all traces. My missiles were not calibrated to induce that kind of explosion."
Prowl stared at the screen. "Springer, what can you see? Anything?"
Springer answered back. :We see nothing. Its like he disappeared:
Prowl turned in the seat to face Tennyson. "Scan for tachyons. See if there's a bridge or something else working here."
Tennyson worked, then looked at Prowl. "I found them but they favor a pattern of something we are well versed in using. I found those that occur when we jump trans-dimensionally. We have the ability to move through dimensions. This is what I'm finding, though its faint due to the intensity of the explosions. My guess is very simple. Xylon is in another dimension."
Prowl considered that, then nodded curtly. "We have to find him. Open a channel to Polity."
Blaster did.
Prowl glanced at Ratchet. :Can phase sixers jump between dimensions?:
:I heard rumors some can:
It was silent on the deck for a while. Tensely silent.
:Springer to Prowl:
"Prowl here."
:We've checked and double checked. Nothing of him. But we noted bridge-type residue, faint but present:
Prowl considered the situation, then glanced at Ratchet. :Frag:
Ratchet nodded. :What do you want to do? Torpedo Polity, too?:
Prowl stared at the forward view. :Yes: He glanced at Blaster. "Put everyone everywhere in the empire on Level 2 alert. I want this end of space scrutinized to the last dust mote. Open a channel to Polity."
"You're on, Prowl," Blaster said.
"Polity, it would appear that Xylon jumped dimensions."
It was silent a moment, then Polity spoke. :And how does that relate to me? It would appear that Xylon has a new target:
Prowl spoke to Ratchet off line, then turned to the screen again. "In your dreams. Ratchet who was his doctor at one time will explain."
"Polity, this is Ratchet. When I treated Xylon, he was called Rotor. That mech is a psychopath, someone without mercy or method. He's got features of a stalker mentality, hence the Warrior Elite program. He's never been known to forgive a slight and he has the capacity as a phase sixer to track anyone he's angry with to the ends of time. He doesn't have to refuel, recharge or turn back from any path he's on because of his internal reactor. He's a killer of note, someone who has the reputation of keeping his affairs neat and tidy and no qualms about killing anyone including children.
"Now that you're on his shit list, he will never stop until he finishes what he started. Since he was heading for you and you were challenging him with your defense, something he despises, you're on The List. Good going, fragger."
:And I'm supposed to believe you?: Polity replied.
"No but I don't matter. His beef is with you. He had plans for you and they were thwarted. He's going to keep them because he's got a stalker mentality and he's a maniacal killer. He's mental as frag. Nothing you do other than eating a fragmentation grenade will stop him and given what he is, nothing you have will stop him either."
It was silent.
Then he was back. :What are you trying to put forward then?:
"Stay where you are. Dig in and get ready. He's coming back and I want the heads up. He's going to come after you first."
A harsh laugh was heard. :You want me to stay and be your target? What the frag? I heard you were smart, Prowl:
Prowl's expression hardened into ice. "Listen up, loser. Stay and have a chance to live or run and guarantee your own grave at his convenience. We're the only group with enough firepower and brains to end him. When he comes back you tell us. Or run and we'll have a funeral for your stupidity. Either way works for me."
It was silent.
=0=TBC 9-24-2020 1-24-2020
ESL
Sober has many meanings besides not drunk. It can also mean very serious, very calm, very tense. Mostly it was to do with tamping down emotions and responses to things.
(so-burr)