NOTE: I chose a name for the leader of the Knights with the hostages that is gong to be changed for obvious reasons. :D The story of Drift has a bot named Wing who was his mentor and his death caused the change in Drift from bad to good. I chose Wing for this character because I like the name and because it was inspired by the bio of another TF with the same name. This bot is red and white, has a great personality and is really gungho to do things. That is the bot I built this role for. I forgot about the OTHER Wing. :D So I am renaming the leader of the hostage Knights to Splice. (Sort of putting two together without mashing the canon plot line by using the name both have.) Thanks to the reader who mentioned this. You guys are the best. :D :D :D
=0=Let's rumble
The Diego Diaries: Psyops 2
-0-At the Trigger
The City of Cybertropolis waited in the long sled arms of the Trigger for the moment when the torrent of energy would appear that would carry them forward through time and space to a planetoid in a barren reach of space far away. Optimus sat quietly, his attention fully on the map rolled out on the table before him. Blackjack and Alor were traveling on the City of Praxus shuttle, a somewhat fitting transport for at least one of those worthies.
He considered them, two fine mentors from the beginning of his term as Prime. He had a lot of interaction with them before the war drove them in different directions, each of them with their own piece of the Autobot pie to serve. Alor was a tremendous tactician from Iacon, a high caste mech with an almost supernatural ability to combine math and music. Blackjack was military all the way, belonged to the Praxian Elite caste and was Master of the Armed Forces when Optimus was given the Matrix. He had been a great help and so had his son, Ironhide, Battalion chief and all around walking repository of wisdom, strength and support.
He loved the entire family. He considered Ironhide his brother, the one he had never had.
He hadn't even begun to understand the sense of something missing held deep inside until the ones he loved the best began to gather around once more. Having family come back was beneficial to everyone, especially the children. Now that left only one pair of bots to walk through the door to give him complete peace in his spark. One pair of bots to come to look at his children, all of them and feel joy and peace. Where they were, he didn't know but the burning despair most of them carried was assuaged just a little bit each time someone's brother or sister, grandgenitor or genitor walked off a ship into freedom.
"Fort Max Control Tower to Prime."
"Prime here."
"We are go. You are cleared. Your group is in place. We are turning you over to Trigger Control. Over."
"Very well. Thank you, Fort Max Flight Control. Prime out." He sat back and felt the energy of the ship gather underneath him. Out the forward view ports he saw the power of the Trigger begin to generate the energy beams that would shoot down the sled, coalesce at the same point in front of them and cause the controlled atomic explosion that was the bridge. He could feel the electrical charge on his exoskeleton as the power grew, the greenish-blue light brightening the cabin where he sat with troops.
The rumbling in the ship increased and then it happened, the blossom of violence exploding outward before them. "You are go, group leader," Wheeljack's voice said over the speakers and their group leader, the master pilot, Revo acknowledged. "We are go. Group Leader out." With that, Revo put his ped on the gas and they shot forward into the roiling light of the gate. It would stay open until they returned.
-0-On the other side
They burst free and flashed into battle configuration. No one was near so they sent a message to the planetoid they had chosen to be their base in this sector. Turning and running swiftly toward a mass of broken rock, asteroids and planetary fragments, they reached their own after much weaving and moving through debris. It was a large planetoid with lots of features that allowed for defense. The position of the fortress was at the base of a big broken ridge. They had tunneled into it somewhat and the lower levels would be added as they built and fortified their position. Right now, there would be one lower level and a large deep armory as well as two stories above ground in the massive stone fortress they were building to be brought here. On top, there would be massive guns just like the fort on Mars.
They flew in and landed near the construction. Dozens of mechs working on the project had paused to wait for them, standing in groups, their weapons either on their bodies or nearby. The hatch opened and Prime stepped out followed by his soldiers. The other ships disgorged their passengers and they gathered together around Jetta who had come here directly from the game to oversee the wiring for the electronics installation. :You made it: he said with a grin.
:We did. The foundation looks promising: Prime said.
Jetta nodded to everyone and then glanced at Prime. :Come with me. I'll show you what the crews have done so far: The entire group followed him as he walked to the construction and began to explain.
-0-RTR Tools
They worked together hammering at the metals that they carefully smelted. No one had their formulas. No one could manage to achieve the blends that made their creations not only beautiful but extra strong. Ravel held a long piece of silver metal in tongs while Tie Down beat on it with a hammer of his own design. They had made among their first creations tools for themselves to use.
Sunspot sat on a stool and watched, asking here and there a great question or two. He had the day off and would be spending it with his grandgenitors learning something about the profession that had propelled his ada into medical school long ago. Conferences were being had so infants were off, many in day care and others with family. "That's really beautiful," he said as the metal began to slowly bend in the direction sought.
Tie and Ravel smiled. "We try and make things beautiful as well as practical, sparkling. Our tools were known for their beauty and their design. It is what makes them special."
"I want to be a tool maker when I grow up," he said leaning down to see under Ravel's arm. "I like the way it glows and then bends. I don't know how that works but I like it."
"Heat, sparkling," Ravel said turning and dipping the metal piece into water to temper it. Steam rose and the liquid sizzled. Then he brought it back and they began again. "It is a skill and we will teach you. Everyone should know a lot of things."
"Atar said so too," Sunspot said. "I want to know a lot of things."
Ravel smiled and nodded. "We will help you," he said gently.
The morning would pass in joy for all three of them and Sunspot would learn a lot of new things while it did.
-0-At the other side of time
They stood in groups staring with loathing as the Decepticon ship landed and some of them came out fully armed. Splice and his mechs stood in a group of families and watched them, preparing to intervene if anyone panicked. The elders and infants were in ships hidden from view. A big mech paused before the mass of individuals and looked them over. :Who speaks for the group?:
For a moment no one moved. Then Splice did. :I do:
The big mech looked at him and nodded. :We need fifty mechs to work on our fortress. Chose them quickly:
:Do they come back when they're through? What about their safety?: Spice asked calmly.
:What do you care?: the 'Con asked.
:The question should be, why don't *you* care? Prime will obliterate you if even one of us is harmed. You should know that. Overlord is too stupid to care. You should be smarter because Prime will come and pull your arms off himself: Splice said.
They stared at each other a moment, then the 'Con stepped closer. :I need fifty mechs. When they get done they come back. Make them big and skilled or this will take longer.:
Splice looked at him a moment, then nodded. :We understand each other then:
The 'Con stared and then stepped back. :Fifty. Now:
Splice considered the mech's demeanor, then turned and chose fifty including two of his own. They walked to the 'Con ship and it left them behind. The rest of his mechs stood with him as they watched it, then one turned. :That one isn't stupid. This could be good:
:Maybe: Splice said nodding. :We shall see:
-0-On the floor of the CMO's office
Praxus sat chewing on a dolly as he watched his ada feverishly work through a pile of slag that never seemed to shrink. Nearby, Orion stood in front of the window licking it as he stared dreamily downward.
"Orion." He turned and looked up at his ada. "Don't lick the window. You're get a … something."
He grinned and turned resuming his licking. Ratchet snorted and looked at the two other infants in the room. A mini version of himself was chewing on a dolly. Hero was propped up by pillows on the couch. She was staring at him but it was debatable whether she could clearly make out who he was across the room.
Or not.
They were still learning about infants.
"You two are looking good," Ratchet said glancing down at Praxus. He grinned and resumed sucking on the head of his dolly. Ratchet glanced at the pile before him and redoubled.
Ten minutes later …
"AHA!" He slid the last datapad into the slot and turned pausing. Three sparklings stared at him with big startled optics. Then three sparklings began to cry. "Oh slag," Ratchet said rising.
A moment later...
They stepped out of the Medical Tower and walked forward, two on leashes and one in the crook of a medic's arm. The two in front ambled along staring at everyone and everything they came across. By the time they reached RTR Tools Ratchet was ready for a drink. "Hey," he said opening the door and tugging two babbling sparklings inside with him. For a moment, he paused. The action itself was one he had done every orn for most of his life growing up. A huge splash of deja vu swept through him and passed on.
Sunspot came around the counter and grinned. "Hi, Ada."
"Hi, Sunny Bunny. The sparklings are coming to call," Ratchet said as Sunspot took the leashes. Tugging them, they followed him as he led the way to the back. It would be a sweet few joors to follow.
-0-About
Hot Rod walked briskly from the Fortress toward the towers beyond. He was due at a card game in the bachelor soldier's tower and he was determined to win back what he had lost to Smokescreen and Springer. The slaggers had rolled him like a wheel and it was professionally embarrassing. Jolt stepped out of Club Cybertron and turned to go with him. "What's up?"
"I am going to skin Springer and Smokescreen."
"I heard you got took last time," Jolt said with a chuckle.
"Frag that," Hot Rod said pausing to let an elderly mech go around him. "I have a system."
"So does Springer and Smokey. It's called wining," Jolt said with a grin.
"Ha-ha," Hot Rod said with a grin. They bantered all the way to Smokescreen's apartment.
-0-Blurr and Maccadam's Old Oil House
He walked through the construction which had been given the go ahead by the Planning Commission three decaorns before. Blurr described to the architect and construction bosses the touches that he remembered from the original bar that had been an institution in the lower-east quadrant of Iacon. Its selection of brews were not matched by anyone else. Everyone who was anyone and everyone else as well came there. Wreckers considered it 'their' bar and both sides of the conflict frequented it at the same time. No one dared break the peace. The bouncers were awesome.
The brewer at the new nearby business center who had finished installing the equipment to make the selections of 'beer', high end labels and regional favorites everyone favored had already signed on to produce the quantity of beverages he would need. A kitchen was added to produce bar food that would suit the pallets of just about every kind of mechanism in the city. A place for music and entertainment was being constructed as well to return live entertainment to the scene as it once was on Cybertron.
It was going to be awesome.
-0-On the ground out there
Ironhide stood beside his genitors and listened as the plans were made to begin ferrying over the giant slabs that would make up the curtain wall of the fortress. It would take a lot of trips and a lot of guns to go with them. That detail would be his and his father's. He was looking forward to it personally.
Overhead, the stars were thick and the nearby crush of rock and ice marked the terrain of their outlier base. Somewhere nearby in the mix of broken stones, incomplete planetoids, cometary debris and asteroids, Overlord was digging in. The building crews had already secured Class-A energon in the debris around them and it would be more than enough to fuel and feed a garrison many times bigger than this one. All Ironhide hoped was that Overlord didn't find out that he had that option too.
-0-In the debris field nearby
They worked hard digging in the soft dirt to create the perimeter of a stone fortress. Overlord sat on his ship watching out the view ports as he savored his position. He had come up through the gladiatorial games in Slaughter City and he lived for battles the way some lived for love. There were two bots he craved to fight with the intensity of an addict for meth. One of them was Megatron. The other was Optimus Prime. He wanted to fight them more than he cared for anything else. He would sit here and wait for Prime to come. That bot would and he, Overlord would defeat him in single combat.
Of that, he had absolutely no doubt.
The stars were thick overhead and among the debris floated bits and pieces of Class-A energon. He didn't know that. His focus was somewhere else. But as long as he didn't realize it, his enemy had the upper servo. The night continued onward and he watched with amusement as the foundation of a stone fortress began to take form. It was all good he thought to himself. All good.
=0=TBC
2012 (11)