The Tribunal: Michael Rickers Series
The ground bridge fired up and the Autobot base was filled fill with bright light. The group of holograms and humans walked through the event horizon and entered the base, followed shortly by Baines driving his black Jaguar behind them with the ground bridge cycling down once they were all through.
Ratchet had a good idea of the outcome by the fact that Michael had just entered the base with the others.
"Good news I take it?" He asked.
"I've been released on all charges. I'm in the clear" Michael answered proudly.
Ratchet gave a curt nod and was pleased to know that it was a good outcome.
The holograms faded out of existence and the true bodies of the other five Autobots booted back up. Elita quickly stepped away from the frame holding her body up and rushed over to Michael and swept him up off his feet and held him close to her spark.
"I'm so happy I have you back" She told him gently.
Michael said nothing and leaned his head against her, happy and content.
The rest of the group stood and watched the little reunion but all failed to notice the admiral look very displeased about something. As he climbed the stairs he pulled out a small pocket note pad and pen and he checked what was written on the paper. He walked over to the computers and sat down as he went over the paper for a second time and then a third time.
"Raf?" He called. The boy looked up at the platform and saw the admiral use his finger to say 'come here'. He boy bounded up the stairs and quickly got to where the admiral was sitting and sat on a chair next to him.
"That trick you did to locate the Decepticon warship. Is it possible to do it again?" Baines asked quietly so no one else would here.
Raf had to think about it for a moment "Sure, I guess. But it won't take long for the Con's to know about it. I might be able to do it once or twice"
"Good, can you do it now to get a rough fix on their position? As in what continent or ocean they are currently over?"
"Okay, it'll take a minute to get" Raf said as he sat up in the chair and faced one of the computer monitors and started to type up a series of computer programs. He brought up the files from the previous time he had try to locate the warship and with that data he copied it into the program and ran the search but only for a few seconds. He knew the longer he searched, the chances of being detected by Soundwave would increase and he would never find the warship.
"I have it" Raf said.
Baines leaned in towards the screen to see what it said, but all he saw was code which made no sense to him.
"One moment and I'll place it on a map for you" Raf explained as he did so then a map of the world appeared and a fairly large pulsing Decepticon badge was shown over the southern part of the Bay of Bengal.
"Nice one" Baines said as he gave a pat on the shoulder to Raf and stood up and move slightly away for the boy. He looked at his note pad out and looked at it for a fourth time. Then with a grin on his face he tapped the paper with his pen.
"This is old military base, so is there a secure land line here?" Baines asked the boy.
"Why?" Raf asked hesitantly.
"Where is it?" The admiral asked again.
Raf gingerly pointed to an old communication console right next to the ground bridge control which had a big black telephone handset.
Baines stepped over to the console and lifted the receiver off its cradle and checked if it worked. He held the receiver between his head and right shoulder and look at his note pad again and dialled a number and waited for a reply at the other end.
"Two Bravo Sierra X-Ray Three. I need a secure line... Level Five... Ministry of Defence... RA. C. Baines, Director of Submarines" He spoke in a commanding manner.
By now everyone heard the admiral speak and turn around to see what was happening. Optimus stepped up to the platform and looked down to the admiral on the phone.
"What are doing?" He asked.
"My job" Baines said.
Optimus didn't understand and his head tilted to one side as he try to work out what the admiral meant.
"Yes, this is Rear Admiral Colin Baines, Director of Submarines. Patch me through to fleet communications... Two Bravo Sierra X-Ray Three" He said and waited.
"What do you mean?" Optimus asked.
"My job is to protect my country and the Decepticons have now become a threat to the UK"
"Admiral I do not believe it is wise to attempt an attack on-"
"Send a priority message to HMS Vengeance" Baines interrupted the Prime as he started to give the order. "Priority message is one mission. Mission one of one, launch one guided cruise missile to airborne target immediately. The target package is the launch confirmation. Repeat, the target package is the launch confirmation. Message send directly from DOS, authentication code is..." Baines had to check his notepad again and flicked a few pages "Delta Five Bravo X-ray Seven"
Everyone was silent. They went from pure elation to being frozen on the spot. No one was expecting the admiral to suddenly launch an attack on the Decepticons.
"Thank you very much. The next person on this end will provide the target package. Send to the Vengeance immediately"
Baines passed the handset to the boy "Give them the coordinates and give the elevation in metres. Can you do that please?"
The boy meekly nodded.
"Okay, now can you call the warship for me please" The admiral instructed.
The boy placed the handset on the desk and typed in more commands into the computer. He set up a daisy chain so that the signal would be bounced all around the globe making the source of origin hard to trace. He pointed out a ordinary desk phone for the admiral. Baines picked up the phone and nodded to the boy to make the call.
On the bridge on the Nemesis, the Decepticon warlord stood proudly on the bridge on his mighty warship. Watching as the ship flew through the clouds off the Indian subcontinent.
"Lord Megatron" One of the faceless troopers called from a station to Megatron's left "We have an unknown incoming communication"
The warlord stepped over to the station and pressed a button on the keypad "Yes?"
"Hello, may I ask who I'm speaking to please?" Came the voice of the admiral.
Megatron was confused to say the least, the computer started to analyse the voice print on the Decepticon database to trace which Autobot it was, but it came up with a blank. None of it made sense to the warlord.
"I will ask the same of you" Megatron said calmly, he was thinking their had to been a logical explanation for this, most likely a human playing around on various frequency and got lucky.
"I am Rear Admiral Baines, British Royal Navy. I am following up an investigation that is a matter of national security. So who am I speaking to?"
"Is this some kind of joke?" Megatron asked incredulously.
"I can assure you this is no joke"
Back at the base Raf got the coordinates and gave the admiral a nod to say so. When Baines noticed his made a gesture of his head to tell the boy to pass them on as he still kept playing dumb on the phone with Megatron. Below the waves of the Indian Ocean and in the control room of the missile submarine HMS Vengeance, the officer of the watch was sat in the duty captain's chair. For the past few weeks they had been patrolling the busy shipping lanes going between the markets of East Asia and Europe as far from the Gulf of Aden to the Malacca Strait. Not much had happened on their deployment and boredom was setting in. The officer was thinking about what the weather was like above the surface, no one on the boat had seen natural light for a month.
"Sir" The communications officer called out. The officer in charge stood up and squeezed through the tight space, having to grab onto handles and surfaces to balance himself.
"What have you got for me?"
"Priority message from the admiralty, sir"
"Okay, print it out" The officer of the watch shuffled back to the captain's chair and picked up the auto telephone and called the captain "Captain, priority message from the admiralty just came through... yes captain"
He stood up and started to carry out the orders given as the captain got dressed and sorted himself out.
"Helm, come about to Zero Nine Zero and rise to a depth of fifty metres, smartly"
The entire submarine leaned to Starboard as it began it's turn and anyone standing up were now having to lean to Port and also forward as the submarine rose towards the surface.
A few moments later the captain entered from the forward hatchway and shuffled his way through the tight space towards the communication station. The officer manning the communication passed the printed message to the captain who in turn read quickly.
"Call the bomb shop, get one guided cruise missile ready" The captain ordered.
"I won't ask again, who am I speaking to?" Baines said one more time.
"You have no idea who you are speaking to do you?"
Megatron could hear the admiral growl "Now you listen here. I am in no mood for games. Tell me who you are or I'll see to it that you are arrested for obstructing an MOD criminal investigation"
The warlord laughed "I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. You would be wise to watch your tone"
There was silence from the other end for a second "Are you being serious? Are you clearly take the proverbial piss? You really expect me to believe that load of bullshit"
The captain was checking the authentication code when the communication officer called him again "Captain, target package"
The captain rushed over and checked the message himself.
"Raise attack" He ordered asking for the attack periscope be raised. The officer of the watch did a three sixty sweep.
"No surface contacts sir" The officer reported.
"Helm, hover at automatic. Weapons, prepare to launch at my command"
The communication officer resent the coordinates to the weapons officer through the internal computer communication system. When the order to prepare came, the weapons officer did his final checks of all the computer guidance systems for the missile.
"Ready to launch" The weapons officer announced.
"Fire One" The captain ordered in a calm manner.
The weapons officer pushed a small red button which had a smiley face drawn on it.
On the forward deck in front of the conning tower a small hatch door slid apart and within the bottom of the missile tube, high pressure steam was forced up from underneath the missile which propelled it through the water. It burst through the waters surface and slowed as it lost momentum then for a fraction of a second it hung in mid air, then the rocket fired and smoke billowed out across the water. Slowly the missile got speed and launched high into the sky leaving a obvious smoke trail. As is climbed and started to level out, the stabilizer fins deployed and now the weapons officer was guiding the missile to it's intended target. After a minute of flight, the missile was reaching super sonic speed.
"Now I don't know who you think you are, but you are very stupid to mess around with me. I got this number and I know you have something to do with a breach of classified information. So you will tell me who you are, or I'll be forced to take whatever necessary action I need to do to ensure the safety of further classified information" Baines carried on his threats.
Megatron was about to make yet another amusing comeback when an alarm sounded. He turned around for answers. He looked at the main monitors just in time to see a visual of a small, relatively harmless missile hurtle towards the ship. It slammed into the port bow of the ship and rocked the place violently. Leaving scorch marks on the outer hull.
"Damage report" He commanded.
"Minimal damage, my lord" One of Megatron's subordinates informed.
"Having some problems are we?" Came Baines voice sounding smug.
Megatron then realized that Baines knew perfectly well who he was speaking to.
"If that was an attempt to terminate me, you'll have to do better than that"
He heard Baines laugh "If that was my intention, you wouldn't be speaking to me now. Take it as a warning. Do not ever try to attack the United Kingdom again or... well I'm sure you can guess what I would say next"
"Your threats don't scare me... admiral. For I do as I please" Megatron slowly said with every syllable dripping with evil.
"Give me one more reason and I'll make it my mission in life to destroy you" Then with that the communication link was cut.
Optimus couldn't believe what was happening. Baines had just openly attacked the Decepticons, now he was sure they would retaliate and cause numerous human casualties.
"What have you done?" He asked in a tone that he rarely used.
"It's called taken action. I'm not going to sit idly by while Megatron can think he can do what he likes. It's time to show him he's not all invincible. It's called a pre-emptive strike"
"I do not believe taken such action was the wisest course to take"
"Why what would you have done?" The admiral talked over the Prime.
Optimus stood there and try to consider what would he be doing, then he came to the conclusion that he'd have taken no action and not risk provoking the warlord.
Baines could tell by the look on Optimus' face what he was about to say and scoffed "You're so unbelievable!"
The other Autobots were about to speak up for their leader when Baines carried on explaining his view "Jesus, how the hell have you managed to keep fighting for so long. I've never met such an indecisive commander before. You would stay here and not do anything because you always assume the worst will happen. Well I on the other hand do the best I can" As Baines started to rant on he walked along the platform with everyone tracking him as he went along.
"Well I did my submarine commanders course all those years ago I to simulate sinking a ferry that was escorted by two frigates. I decided to stay away to avoid detection. The Rear Admiral who came on board to judge my competency said something to me and it stuck ever since. You want to know what he said?"
Optimus neither nodded or shook his head. Baines took that as a yes.
"He said to me, 'We did not become the greatest sub service in the world by constantly running away, get on with it'. So after that I turned the submarine around and fired two simulated torpedoes and would have sunk the ferry if they were real torpedoes, and I wasn't detected by the frigates not even for a moment"
Baines stopped walking, swivelled on his and then walked the way he came back towards where Optimus stood.
"What I'm trying to say is, you can't be indecisive because not only does the mission be left incomplete, but you leave the enemy an opportunity to strike back. From what I've heard from you lot, you've had many chances to kill Megatron" Baines padded right up against the railing and pointed sharply at Optimus "So why is he still alive?!"
Optimus was shocked to say the least, he'd never been spoken to like that for a very long time by anyone. He had no idea how to even answer that question. He had to think about it, maybe the admiral was right. He's had many opportunities to kill Megatron, so why hadn't he? What was stopping him? He'd rather try to change Megatron's mind but was that too wishful thinking?
Baines mobile made a text alert. The admiral reached in his inside jacket pocket and pulled out his mobile and read the text quickly.
"Ratchet, I need a ground bridge. Back to the UK please" He asked as he walked away from the edge of the platform and towards the stair and down towards his car.
"Why?" Ratchet asked, concerned about not wasting energon unnecessary.
"I need to sort out a frayed end" Baines looked at the group of humans stood by the Autobot's feet and looked to Michael directly "A frayed end on a synthetic type of rope shall we say" He said cryptically.
Baines leaned into his car and reached inside the glove box.
"Oh, Michael. Almost forgot. The rozzers found this at Heathrow, you might want it back" Baines showed Michael the I.D. Tag that was given to him as a gift from the Autobots then chucked it to him with a long underarm swing. Michael stepped forward and caught it.
Ratchet put in the coordinates to the place they had been using quite a few many times and fired up the ground bridge. Baines got in his car and drove it through the swirling wall of light.
As the ground bridge cycled down, everyone looked to Michael.
"What did he mean by that?" Arcee asked him.
Michael could only shake his head slowly "Don't know really. But to sort out the frayed end of a synthetic rope you cut off the end and then burn it to seal it"
Everyone could only looked to the now shut down ground bridge and try and figure out what the admiral meant, and what was on that text message that was so important. They all guessed that an explanation would come later.