A/N: This story takes place two months before the events of the Pilot story of The Ramparts. Also big thanks to Exactlywhat for editing this piece, you are awesome! ^_^

Transformers Prime: The Ramparts

"DATELINE 42061: WAR! As the United Alliance holds it's ground on Earth, The Decepticons have made a push to take over the human colonies on Mars! Sky Marshall Furman and Commandant Cortez have launched an offensive in conjunction with Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. Together they have vowed to rid the galaxy of the Decepticon threat, but they can only do it with able bodied men and women like you to volunteer and do your part!"

Cycle 01: What's a Rampart?

Dizzy Fuentes yawned and stretched in her seat. She looked out of the window at the blur of the tree line moving by. It was quite the trip from Fort Benning, Georgia to Fort Carson, Colorado, but the smoothness of the magnetic rail made the trip ten plus hour trip easy to fall asleep on. She smacked her lips as the taste of that morning's breakfast still lingered. She sat up in her seat and looked around her surroundings; the train car had eight seats per row and was divided four on one side, four on the other. From front to the back of the car was a sea of bodies in camouflage fatigues. They were a mix of different colors for each of the service. Light blue digital cammo for the Air Force, Light Greenish grey digital cammo for the Army, Dark tan digital cammo for the Marines, and finally Dark Blue digital cammo for the Navy, Which were the colors Dizzy wore.

Dorothy Isabella "Dizzy" Fuentes was born in New Iacon,Texas and Her entire life had been spent around the Autobots. Growing up in the Autobot settlement, Dizzy found she had a natural knack with electronics and communications. She at first wanted to work as a record producer, but continuing education in the subject proved to be difficult to pay for. So it was at the age of 18 that Dizzy volunteered for military service, Her Military Entrance Exam score proved to be very high. So high she had her pick of several interesting duty schools, but her love for the Autobots pushed her to choose the path she was following now: she was going to become an Autobot Technichian.

The Autobot Technicians had been in service for nearly 50 years. They were created when the need arose for the Autobots to have more hands on medical care, where Autobot medics were scarce. A division of the United States Navy, the first Autobot Techs was trained by Ratchet and Hoist themselves. They were given replicas of those tools the actual Autobots used, scaled down to human size. The first Techs were taught the ins and outs of an Autobot and trained in the repair and maintenance of them. In every military unit with a detachment of Autobots there were at least a team of ten to fifteen techs. It was about 20 years ago when the first Autobot techs stepped onto the battlefield alongside their Autobot allies to act as field medics. It was then that the Autobot Techs found their true place in the world.

Tech School for Dizzy was a challenge. Already book smart it took her a while to actually apply the knowledge she acquired and put it to use. The school itself was a rigorous four month course where Dizzy was pushed to the limits academically and physically. The fact that Dizzy was from New Iacon made her instructors push her even harder. Eventually Dizzy found herself completing the course and was soon on her way to her new duty station aboard the Supercarrier USCNS Nostromo with the 4th Autobot Technichal group currently docked at Fort Carson, Colorado. She would give the Navy six years of her life and in turn the Navy would pay for her college. It was a fair trade off she thought; all she had to do was survive her first enlistment.

Dizzy sunk back in her seat and pulled out her hair tie. Her silky brown hair fell around her shoulders as she shook it out to comb her fingers through it. Grabbing it and twisting it into a small bun she wrapped the hair tie around it securing her hair in place. Because of her mixed heritage, with a Spanish father and Caucasian mother, Dizzy's skin was a light olive that matched her brown hair nicely. She wasn't stunning as she was cute. Along with her complexion, she had brown eyes that she would change to blue or green or red or whatever color her color contacts allowed her to have. She had thin lips that would often curl into an impish smile and dimples that would come out anytime she laughed hard.

"Computer," she called out as the onboard computer screen on the back of the seat in front of her. The screen came alive as the train's onboard A.I greeted her.

"Good afternoon Autobot Technician 3rd class Fuentes "it sang as it called her by her military rank. "How may I be of assistance to you?"

"What is our current position and when will we arrive at Fort Carson?" she asked.

"We are currently travelling at 160 miles per hour and will soon cross into Kansas in under fifteen minutes, estimated time of arrival at Fort Carson is 1835 hours, May I get you a refreshing beverage?" the computer said in a pleasant voice.

"No thank you." Dizzy smiled as she placed her ear buds back in her ear, Bringing up the holographic display on her Ipod, she selected her playlist of early 21st century electronica and dubstep. Dizzy loved classical music and it would help her sleep the last leg of the trip.

Fort Carson, Colorado

Dizzy opened her eyes as the alerts came over the loudspeakers. The train was within ten miles of the base and all personnel should return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. The train ride in was quick and before she knew it, Dizzy was disembarking and collecting her duffle bag with her uniforms and personal gear. The train depot was a mesh of military personnel barking out orders and receiving new orders. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the Autobots that had been secured in the back car in their vehicle modes transform and join a larger red and yellow Autobot as they walked to their new duty station.

"Nostromo personnel gather on me!" She heard a loud voice yell out and looked to see a squared jaw Petty Officer with a clipboard.

Within moments Dizzy was shuffled onto a transport with other new Nostromo crew members. She looked out of the window at the base which was huge. It had every amenity needed to make a military member and their families feel at home. The bus took them through the main heart of the base to the outer edges of the docking bays of other ships. Fort Carson was huge as it was a main staging area for the humans and Autobots to use for training and deployments. There were forces in space to defend the earth colonies on the moon, Mars and the moons of Jupiter. As far as Dizzy knew she would mainly spend her time on Earth. This was fine by her. Her claustrophobia was one of the main disabilities that would never allow her to venture out into space.

There was collective gasp from the group as they passed the buildings out into the open and saw for the first time the huge Supercarrier Nostromo. It was the size of a city, and could operate on land, air, sea or space. It had crew of over 25,000 servicemen and 20 Autobots. The carrier was large enough that even the Autobots could live comfortably. It was currently docked at Fort Carson until the end of this year where it would leave on a global deployment then find a new home on Miami bay.

Dizzy and the other servicemen were quickly shuffled off and sectioned off their appropriate crew leaders. Dizzy soon felt like her namesake as people were moving around her at a quick pace. She held on to her gear tightly. Looking up at the massive hull of the ship and nearly gave her vertigo.

"Fuentes!" She heard her name yelled out " Autobot Tech 3rd class Dorothy Fuentes!"

"Me!" She yelled as she followed the voice. " I'm AT3 Fuentes!"

She followed the voice to a clean cut Airmen "Fuentes? Good! My names Tech Sargent Markmen! I've been sent to collect you! c'mon follow me. I'll show you to your new home!"

Dizzy followed him onto his Levicart, Dizzy dumped her bag on the back and hopped in the seat next to him. The cart hummed as it entered in one of the ports of the ship.

"Welcome to the 4th Autobot group!" He said "Top Sargent sent me to make sure you got to us ok, we don't get many of you Autobot techs. So you coming is a big deal!" He smiled.

He made a tight turn past the motor bay and sped up the ramp. "You ok? You need any chow?"

"No I'm cool" Dizzy said as she looked at the walls of grey and white.

The cart came to a stop at a large warehouse like structure, they hopped off and Dizzy followed the Airmen to the set of offices, off to her left she saw large Autobot walking by.

"What's up Air Raid?" Airman Markman called out to the Autobot.

"Marky!" Air Raid called out "Who's the hottie?"

"The hottie is the new Rampart!" Markman announced

"Oooooh weee! " Air raid sang "Can't wait till you grease my gears! Hey Marky you coming to the poker game tonight?"

"Never miss it!" Markman said then turned back to his female companion " That wasn't sexual what he said, you really have to apply grease to his gears…." He explained as Dizzy nodded.

"So…. What's a Rampart?" Dizzy asked as they moved on.

Markman smiled "That's your unit. The 4th Autobot techs are called the Ramparts, and you better learn what it is by the time you meet Cardnial!"

"Who's Cardnial?" Dizzy asked

"Cardnial is your crew chief. He's the guy you answer too" Markman said as they reached a work center inside were who crewmen, who all wore olive drab green flight suits. On the left shoulder was the ships patch. It was a blue patch with a red yellow and orange rainbow and in the middle was the ships logo against the ship's name "NOSTROMO". On the right shoulder was the patch of the Autobot symbol. They were an assortment of men and women. Four men and two women, and they were all engrossed in their projects, some were cleaning various Autobot components and some were working on the gear they use, tools, Computer gauntlets, and Magnetic boots.

Neither of them looked up when Markman arrive with Dizzy, "Autobto techies!" Markman called out " I got your FNG hot off the press!"

"FNG?" Dizzy asked

"Fresh New Guy" Markman answered with a smile as each of the Techs, one by one and without looking up silently put a finger on their nose. They did this until only one man was left with his nose free of fingers.

"Baker! You get to be her sponsor!" Markman sang as he gave the large black man with the broad shoulders, a big a deep booming voice, and large forearms her file.

"Aw cmon! I never win at that game!" Baker complained, but before he could complain any further Markman was out the door. Sighing he turned to Dizzy "You got a name kid?"

"My name is Dorothy Isabella Fuentes, but most folks call me Dizzy." She said setting down her bag.

"Why is that?" Baker said but before she could answer he cut her off " Nevermind, you look like a Dizzy. Let me introduce you to the crew. "He said as he pointed to the men and women in the room.

"I'll be your sponsor " Baker said " That means I'm in charge of making sure you know where to go and where to be, I'll help you collect your gear, and find your living quarters, and I'll be the one to get yelled at if you screw any of that up. So be a pal and don't get me yelled at" He said in a sweet passive aggressive tone.

"We go by nicknames here, so it's a good thing you come with one, or at least until we find a better one for you." Baker said. "I'm Autobot Tech 3rd class Marvin Richardson, Folks call me Baker on the account I love to bake! " He beamed with pride.

He took Dizzy around the room and pointed to the women sitting Indian style on a table and fusing some circuit boards. She held a peppermint candy cane in her mouth that looked like she had been working on since last Christmas.

"Autobot Tech 1st class Elora Diederick, We call her Esther and she's the second in command. "Baker said as Dizzy smiled to extend her hand out to her. Esther, who had stunning blond hair tied in a bun and piercing cold blue eyes merely looked at Dizzy and didn't offer a handshake back. She just examined Dizzy sizing her up. The only thing Dizzy heard in the silence was the sound of her sucking on the peppermint stick as she raked it across her teeth. Elora let out a slow breath through her nostrils as she went back to her work.

"Don't mind her, " Baker assured " She doesn't get attached to new people until they pan out."

"What do you mean pan out?" Dizzy asked

"This is an easy unit to get into, but a tough one to stay in, " Baker explained " We usually know in the first two weeks or so if you're Rampart material.

Baker then shuffled Dizzy to the next person, A man in his mid 20's He had fair skin with soft brown eyes and a dashing grin that held a lollipop, He was busy making adjustments to several power gauntlets set before him. "This here is Autobot Technician 2nd class Joseph Channer, We call him Twitch."

Twitch smiled and winked at Dizzy as he took her hand in an strong handshake "Nice to meet you!. I'm also into procurement, Let me know if you need anything 'hard to get' "He said and the air quotes were easily heard.

"Twitch…" Baker said in a warning tone. Twitch merely dismissed him, as he went back to his work. "You know that one guy who is given the choice between jail time or military service? That's him." Baker told Dizzy

Baker finished with the rest of the introductions as he led Dizzy to the entrance of the Autobot Med Bay, It was a massive structure that housed various medical and diagnostic equipment for the massive Autobots. To the rear of the room on a large table was part of an Autobot. At least his legs were missing and he was hooked up to a large monitor. It was obvious he was held in stasis. Next to him was man in his mid 30's, he had short cropped black hair, thin glasses and massive arms. He was quietly reading a book to the Autobot, it was a collection of poems by T.S Eliot.

"Boss, I brought the new kid." Baker then turned and whispered to Dizzy "This is Cardinal, your Crew Chief."

Cardinal stood up and took the Dizzy's orders from Baker, He flipped through the file stopping every so often and then sniffing hard as if to clear his nostrils. "That'll be all Baker, I'll send her out when I'm done having a chat with her," he said not even looking up from the file. The manner in which he spoke seemed to command respect. It was soft, yet stoic, and it had a twinge of a foreign accent, maybe English or Welsh. Baker gave a slight nod as he took off, leaving Dizzy with the intimidating Cardinal.

"Dizzy? Is it?" He said surprising her with that knowledge. "It says here you graduated in the top 5% of your class at Tech School?"

"Yes Sir!" Dizzy said quickly.

"First off, don't Sir me, "He corrected "I work for a living. You can call me Chief. While you did score high at your class, here out in the Fleet it means dick. As you may already know some people who are assigned to me don't last long. I will tell you what I told them, to survive here you have to listen, learn, and pull your weight. We cannot give the Autobots that serve with us any less than 110% percent, Any questions so far?"

"N-No Chief!" Dizzy responded quickly and at attention. She was so nervous right now if you had put a coal up her butt you would get a diamond.

He wagged a finger at her "Follow me" he ordered as he led her from the room to a window that overlooked a large hanger "These are the Autobots in our care." He said as he pointed out several Autobots in the Hangar bay playing a game of basketball with a ball and hoops propionate to their size.

Dizzy recognized a couple of them as the Aerialbots and one slender blue female Autobot Dizzy immediately recognized as Arcee.

"Arcee.." Dizzy whispered in awe.

"So you've heard of Arcee?" Cardinal asked

"I'm from New Iacon, she is a legend there." Dizzy said.

"Good, you know your bots, so now I have to ask you, what is a Rampart?" Cardinal asked as he quizzed her about the unit nickname.

Dizzy immediately went into deep thought about the word, she knew she heard it somewhere, and then she remembered the National Anthem. It's where she heard it first.

Cardinal looked at Dizzy as she closed her eyes and silently sang the Star Spangled Banner.

After a few minutes Dizzy finally gave up, "I don't know Chief, Im sorry." she said sadly.

Cardinal gave her half a grin, "A rampart was a defensive wall in Earth of old. That's what we are for the Autobots, we take care of them and are their first and last line of defense. That is the purpose of us and the purpose of you, to keep them battle ready and in the fight, That's a Rampart."

Dizzy nodded as the meaning of the name sunk in, "Ok now go find Baker and collect your gear, I want you out of those silly cammies and into a flight suit. Take the rest of the day to get acclimated and report back here for muster at 0700, do not be late." He said with the last bit in a deep gravity that screamed at Dizzy to not forget.

The first day of Dizzy's time on the Nostromo came to a close as she lay on her bunk in the living compartments, they were co-ed and everything was made for space conservation, not really comfort. At least the bunk Dizzy had was her own and she didn't have to share with someone from the night crew. The bunks were stacked four on each wall and in-between was a locker where Dizzy stored her uniforms and gear. It was almost lights out as Dizzy laid on the bottom bunk. She clicked on her Ipod and spoke to the memo section, she used as a personal diary.

"Dear diary" She began" Today was my first day reporting to my ship, Life is way different that I could imagine. For starts they have us in a communal room with about 60 of us in one living space. Everything is co-ed , even the showers. Which I can't say is too harrowing, I mean us ladies don't have to worry about 'shrinkage' I guess. I keep telling myself why I am here and it's for the college money, but deep down we all know why I'm here…" Dizzy said as she activated the holoalbum and a holographic picture of a young Dizzy with her father appeared, they were smiling as they posed with a large red and blue Autobot. "Good night dad, Good night Optimus." Dizzy whispered as she clicked off her light and drifted off to sleep.

NEXT TIME: Dizzy gets a crash course in in the tech she will use to repair an Autobot, when one of the Aerialbots suffers a horrific training accident. Plus we meet more of the Ramparts, and we learn the real reason why Dizzy was selected to the Ramparts.