The Diego Diaries: Regroup (dd8 697)

=0=Ops Center a moment later

Prime walked in while outside the airfields all over the colony were mustering ships. The last of the six titans based here for this purpose had just lifted off and now the massive effort of shipyards here and on Ceres were adding their own touches to the new DMZ being created. He walked to the table, then sat. "What is the situational representation?"

Prowl glanced up, then leaned into Prime with his data pad in hand. "We have a three tier demilitarized zone being created at regular intervals from Paladin. They're here," he said pointing to the map on his pad, "here and here. We have them devised so that each wall they breach gets tougher and tougher with the last one at or at lease exceeding total annihilation.

"Paragon will command with Hard Drive on intervals. They will stay in the command cabins on Tennyson and not have to come and go. Delphi has Cybertron and will command there until this ends one way or the other, a shoot out or a balance of power. I personally think its more likely shoot out than peaceful coexistence." He sat back. "The rotten fragger." He sat forward again. "We have a rotation of soldiers from the most veteran ranks among the Seekers, Army, Marines and Special Forces that will man the shuttles, fighters and cruisers.

"Metroplex checked in a moment ago and their part of the plan is go." Prowl explained the iron curtain of death that would be watching Paladin every waking and sleeping second of anyone's orn. He explained how the semi circles that were arrayed rather like a series of break waters to slow the flooding of the sea. They were glittering with guns and ability.

Prime listened and felt slightly better. When Prowl was finished he sat quietly a moment. "I am in a quandary about our people. I must let them out soon if not now."

"We're prepared for them but they have to understand that if the sirens go that they have to move and not be complacent thinking it won't amount to anything. It will if the sirens go off. Fighting in the streets again would be a nightmare if some slagger decided nothing was going to happen and went about their business. I'm not as worried that they die but that some poor dumb Watchman or soldier does because they wouldn't listen."

Prime nodded. "I want a sign off and zoom troubleshoot by 0900. If it looks buttoned up then I will release the civilians. Not before no matter how much they might not like it."

Prowl nodded. "Do you want me to run that or will you be present. I think we can get it organized in about 3 joors."

"Call me, Prowl," Prime said as he rose to walk to the corridor of the offices of the Senior Autobots. He disappeared from sight right away.

Prowl watched him go, then grimly turned back to the job.

=0=Prime's Office

He stared at the images of his family, all of them taken from the time his genitors had arrived to safety and comforts after oceans of time missing. He considered how beautiful their faces were to him, warm and strong, compassionate and stoic, they were the very essence of his soul. His family, all of it, was the reason he got up every orn and did hard things, making hard decisions when they were presented. He didn't shirk from his own difficulties. He applied the lessons his family, genitors and grandparents had taught him in the dangerous hard scrabble childhood he had in their company and protection.

He grew up in a hard neighborhood bordered by other gangs, one of which was led by Ratchet, that never crossed paths. Everyone knew their place.

Their place.

That fire was lit young and it'd never gone out. Some part of him ground against the injustice and evil that a system like theirs assumed and ruthlessly enforced. Worlds died under that yoke and but for the grace of The One and The Powers, his was saved.

Scratch that.

But for the grace and strength, the forbearance and genuine goodness of his people personified by his friends and family, his good and gentle genitors as well, Cybertron would have been lost. He had himself persevered against agonies untold, when it felt that the ground held by his Primeship was only the space he was standing in. They soldiered on. His people, his family and everyone else needed him to survive.

He was aware that there were many who felt that the hope and life they lived now would be lost if anything happened to him. He'd resisted such a thought until it was apparent even to his reluctant spark that it was true. He shuddered to think what would happen to The People, to Mars and Cybertron if anything did happen to him.

What would happen to Prowl and his children … his genitors and friends, their families, everyone … all of it rested upon his shoulders.

It'd been a burden when they were searching for the Allspark and helping their desperate people on the run as best they could. It had been soul annihilating over and over, crossing eons of time in its dark weariness. Then they made Mars, found and were still finding their people, saving families and making them here in this good space and STILL THE FRAGGERS KEPT COMING!

He stared at the glass ball in his hand, a gift from a human friend on Earth and before he could stop he threw it against the far wall. It shattered into a million fragments. He stared at it regretting its loss and as he did he didn't hear that Prowl had entered just as it hit the wall. As he stared at the fragments, he resolved that he would do whatever it took to save and protect his people and kingdom even if it meant sending a mass of nuclear devices straight into the dark spark of Paladin and his mob, destruction be damned.

A servo gently touched his shoulder, stroking down his broad back to rest on his arm.

Prime glanced at Prowl, then turned to face him. Prowl's handsome face was filled with concern. His blue optics, wise, funny and 'clueless' less often than most supposed believed, a trick Prowl had perfected with bad Primes stared at him with deep and tremendous love and concern. It warmed him instantly. The notion of home, an elusive thing he never hoped to find for himself with The Fall and the supposed lose of his genitors lived for him in Prowl's eyes. "I broke it."

"No problem," Prowl said softly. He gently stroked Prime's great arm. "We can fix that, too. Nothing is going to beat us now. What do they have to fight for?"

Prime considered the play of light on Prowl's face. It was beautiful. "I am unaware of anything but bragging rights."

Prowl nodded. "They fight for ego and bragging rights. They don't have anything else. We've seen where that kind of mindset leads. They won't win here. We have millions of soldiers and more ships than they have. If we have to assign one of ours to each one of theirs I can devise the plans to defeat them."

Prime pulled Prowl into his arms. He hugged him, holding him as he felt Prowl hug him back. He felt all of his fears mellow under that strong grip. "You are so under appreciated. I would be lost without your counsel and companionship."

Prowl squeezed Prime gently. "We're a good team, you and I. We always were. What are they? They just want power to have it. We'll defeat them because we know what we have and why we defend. We didn't build this miracle for our people to have them take it away. We just crossed 680,000,000 of our people here. They don't deserve this, Optimus. You will lead Paladin to regret his decision to even come here."

Prime gently squeezed Prowl. "I have a personal grudge, Prowl. I have since he came here. It is personal."

"I know," Prowl said as he stared upward at Prime. "We will do this."

Prime stared at him. "Come with me. Let us go see how the muster is doing and you can tell me about the plans and any changes we might need."

Prowl nodded, then followed Prime out the door. As they stepped out, Prime took Prowl's servo into his own as the door closed silently behind them.

=0=Ratchet

He came out to the street again after getting the word on the medical shelters and how things were going overall. Getting them back to their life was critical to good order. The nerves of everyone after arsons and the rest of their usual slag was working on some of them in a bad way.

A horse patrol passed by waving to him as he waved back. Walking to the street, Ratchet transformed to drive toward Central Point and the medical complex where some of the most needy colonists lived. Somewhere in the shelter system below ground there, his uncles were waiting out the time as well. He drove off into the nearly empty streets toward Midtown and the complex on the hill.

=0=Out there

They came in waves taking their place in the set piece plan, one that was a siege method of containment. No more soldiers would be joining Paladin, though those still wandering were fleeing the system given the circumstances. An iron curtain was being built in real time with the only exit pathway that existed for Paladin being a direct one back toward the Dead Zone and the Ruins.

Out in the Orion Arm two war world space stations were going into their retreat zone in a nebula nearby to wait out word from Mars to come back out and take their place again. Messages were set up on transmitter beacons telling of the situation and to have their customers know why they weren't here for now and to take precautions crossing the zone. When the all clear came they would come back to serve them with their wide platform for trading and the free fuel, food and lodging that Prime ordered made to counter the image of their species being mad killers who had no respect.

Given it was a buzzing hub of activity even on slow orns, the loss of the station to custom and provisioning for a surprising variety of alien travelers and merchants was a big blow and another reason to hate Decepticons.

Ship after ship arrived, each of them without short distance by flight or instantly by bridge to the titans that were the backbone of the defense. They'd have to stay on their vessels, for their shifts some of which were small, but they would rotate onto the titans to live and rest for their off duty shifts. No matter what ship they were on when the fighting began, if it did, no one would be out of place wherever they were. These were the most veteran individuals in the standing Army, Air Force, Marines and Special Forces. There were also Navy tactical teams on every ship from cruiser upward to titan coordinating the laying down of the sensor grid that would lock all the vessels here tactically and through their sensors to watch Paladin no matter what he did.

Prime and Prowl meant business.

=0=Nearby holding in their places

Avalone and Banner sat in the mess hall of Banner's titanic vessel eating dinner together. They were doing very well according to their therapists and even in private conversations with them to assess the two, they were progressing well toward a good end.

When the call came to muster they arrived on scene and asked to go given that they weren't housing residents yet. Banner wanted his full attention on Avalone for his convalescence and the two lived in a beautiful apartment in the Titan Housing District in Iacon. Avalone liked art and Banner liked making it for him along with poetry and good meals. Between reading, resting and counseling, they had a safe pathway forward to a good life here.

"You aren't on the active list, Banner," the Master of the Muster said. "Not you, not Avalone. Unless I get permission I can't put you in the game."

A short call to Metroplex and a conversation with their therapists, Ratchet and Jarro over a party line gave them permission to go but to be a fall back base for whatever was needed. They wouldn't be fighting any time soon and it took Prime to get a modified promise from the two of them over their spark linked duty to him.

They would be a base fall back but they would fight if it came to that.

All in all, not a bad compromise.

=0=TBC 4-28-2023