The Diego Diaries: Follow Up 1 (dd3 155)
-0-The afternoon
Prime sat with Prowl in the conference room going over the data that had been sorted from the flyovers. That had been a real ordeal for the flight teams who were just now returning to land at Fort Apache.
-0-Ops Center, Fort Apache one and a half joors before
"The data got sent through, 'Jack," Alor said walking to the command table where Blackjack sat sorting through intel. They were bundling it, breaking it into smaller packets to send through the space bridge that was due in less than a breem. It would be jetted along the relay to Ops Center in Autobot City where the specialists under Jazz and Mirage would help sort out the information. "We have it ready to send on the relay to Autobot City."
Blackjack looked up and nodded. "Good. You might signal them. Maybe they can open the gate sooner. I think we have a problem here."
"'Cons in the mix?" Alor asked.
"'Cons and something else," he said holding up a datapad. A strange signal was embedded in the mix along with Seeker transmissions. It was a strange conglomeration of identifiers.
Alor nodded and walked to the comm station. "Apache 1 to Autobot City."
A slight delay, then the return was made. "Autobot City here."
"We need a bridge sooner. There are anomalies in the data that Prime needs to see," Alor said. "Over."
"Stand by, Apache 1," Smokescreen's voice could be heard over the big intercoms. For a moment there was nothing, then Smokescreen's voice came over again. "We are opening one now, Apache 1. A ship is coming through with the dish circuits requested. We are clear at our end for the send."
Alor turned with a nod to Blackjack. The space bridge would send the data faster than the regular high speed relay system that piggy-backed off the low end frequencies of the Seeker relay grid. Blackjack turned to his communications officer. "Send the data when the bridge is ready," he said.
"I'm on it," Sandstorm said turning to the board.
Beyond the fort in the darkness of space a burst of energy appeared. It burned like a flame before settling into a whirling vortex that seethed danger. Out of the middle of it a ship came heading their way and passing it unseen, a large bundle of data jetted past going the other way. In seconds, the vortex collapsed and space was calm again.
The ship flashed to the fort and landed on the airfield next to the big stone monument to Autobot sovereignty. When it dropped its ramp Ironhide stepped out and walked to the fortress entering through the big doors. Crossing the lounge/rec room, trading slag with the inmates, he entered Ops Center and walked to the table.
Alor watched him come with a big grin. When Ironhide reached them, he leaned toward his son. "Give her over."
Ironhide grinned as he forked over his daughter, the little Seeker carry bag showing nothing but her tiny little helm. It was swathed in her Little Blue Dog hat and looked adorable. "Ah, my little angel. So nice and pretty in your little hat." Alor grinned at Ironhide. "You're a good atar, son, figuring out all the things an infant needs. Amazing how you managed to get to full grown size without little hats."
"Learn something everyday," Ironhide said with a grin as he sat down. "Little femme needs all her processor bits. Hats help her develop. I won't argue with the experts."
"What does Ratchet say about this?" Alor asked grinning at his son even as he cuddled his granddaughter.
"Whatever I tell him," Ironhide said smugly.
Blackjack looked up at his son with a smirk. "Shall I call and ask him?"
"Slag no," Ironhide said with a grin.
They chuckled as theyt sat going over the ordinance still needed in the armory three stories below and extending outward nearly three football fields wide. A supply line to keep the fortress in ammo was already in place and functioning well. What they needed to finalize was the master list of ordinance needed to be brought on a regular basis to keep the garrison up to fighting trim. They would sit and chat when that was over for some time.
-0-Prime and Prowl
Jazz had explained it to them, showing them the oddities and the knowns. The migration was huge, more than 320,000 individuals strong. The mass had broken into three main groups with one sub group that was worrisome.
"It appears that the big group in front are civilians with some soldiers and Seekers givin' them cover. That group might be about 150-180,000 individuals, Optimus," Jazz said glancing at his data. "The next largest group seems to be ships that are on their last legs, large vessels that can't go fast and the like. The third group is the one that's not good."
Prime nodded. "Go on."
"It would appear that there's a Decepticon force here," Jazz said nodding. "This force seems to have an alien component that appears to be similar to the acid monsters that we had run-ins with before. There are also Seekers with them which might indicate that we're dealin' with rogues."
Prime considered that. "We can assume that there might be Seekers that don't know about the death sentence Megatron put on them. Then again, not everyone is going to give up the bad life just because others have."
Jazz nodded. "I think we're goin' to have a problem here. My recommendation is to go out in force to get the others and lay down the hammer. Make an example if they act up. It can't be good that the acid monsters are among them. The aliens that control them are snoopin' around the edge of our sensors anyway. We don't know what this is goin' to be but it can't be good."
Prime considered that a moment. "What are the impressions of the Seeker flights?"
"Not good. They flashed over and were on the radar of the 'Con ships. They were in the gun barrels of those ships the entire time they were passin' through. They noted on their sensors that the guns followed them until they were out of range," Jazz replied.
"And the Seekers with them?" Prowl asked with a slight frown. "What did they do if anything?"
"They shadowed them. The flights signaled them but they didn't answer." Jazz considered that a moment. "We might have a rogue group that won't settle here. It could be that the Seekers with them are just bad, Optimus."
Prime nodded. "Thank you," he replied.
They sat together, Prime and Prowl considering their options. "You know they had to hear your call and the one you made with Starscream. We can't have them come here and be a problem. They have two options if they don't agree to settle here. Move on and find their own way which means we could have another problem in another direction to worry about or go to Soundwave."
"Either way is bad for us. They could become a tool for Megatron to use against us if they settle somewhere else that is not too far away," Optimus said quietly. "We have to prepare a force to go out and collect them, armed to the teeth and ready to kick their afts to the Pit if they step out of line. I think I need to go out and so does Starscream.
"I want to know what is going on with the Seeker element. IF they are criminals, we have a problem. We could have a shooting war in the blink of an optic. I want the force big enough that we can take the migration into servo without too much trouble. I want them to go through the two bridges from there to an end point at Fort Apache. We can sort them there behind the lines if there is a battle and not have them pile up here if we cannot get them organized more clearly."
"The fortress is paying off already," Prowl said nodding.
"I think so," Prime said grimly.
With that, they both turned to make it so.
-0-Ratchet
He logged off with Prowl and considered the enormity of the problem ahead of them. First, they had to establish a medical platform at Fort Apache, both on the ground and in space nearby. Ships would be brought through swiftly and without organization which meant that the triage and tagging aspect of their reclamation would be held there in the space around the Fort.
Secondly, they would have to have every medic and tech that could be spared loaded and in the air with all they needed for everything from mental health patients to major surgeries in a matter of four joors. All of the giants would be hospital platforms. They would be using all the reformatted Decepticon battle ships due to their size for the war component and it would have to happen now.
That didn't count supplies, portable surgeries, data collection equipment, energon of all manner in bulk, gear, tools and etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Fortunately, they had troubleshot such eventualities. He walked to the computer station next to his desk. Opening a toggle cover and activating the grid, he pressed it. All over the city everyone on the Alpha emergency medical response team paused, then turned to do their part before heading to the airfield. He pushed another button and the Beta team heard it wherever they were. They would come, too.
Ratchet drew up screens. Pressing message alerts, mechs and femmes from all manner of professions dropped their projects, left their homes and hurried to the Emergency Response Center at the Labor Union Hall. Jetta who was already there had them moving all the relevant stuff to head out with everyone jumping.
Ratchet walked to the elevator to join his doctors, nurses, specialists, technicians, field medics, and aides as they raced for the airfield gear in tow.
-0-Autobot City airfield
The giants had already transformed as emergency medical supplies, surgical theaters and other relevant items were pulled from the underground storage systems and taken to the big vessels on pallets. Once the teams arrived they would be unpacked and set up, ready to receive patients before the giants and other vessels even lifted off.
Gypsy and her femme team raced to their station on Kappa. All of the sparklings, younglings, femmes, and sparked individuals would be their call. Ratchet would take the worst and most damaged cases along with Goldwing who was certified as a processor surgeon and neuro-net doctor to Ratchet's exacting standards.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe rolled up by a pallet of missiles to watch the enormous effort being made. They had received the medical call, both of them certified as surgical assistants. Sunstreaker who was also certified as a field medic looked for Ratchet in the mass of mechs struggling with the daunting task of fielding not just a major medical response team but a massive military expedition.
The former 'Con battle ships were moving into line ready to carry troops for anything that was coming. Groups of soldiers were already mustering, their gear and weapons in servo. Wrecker crews, sharpshooters, heavy weapons experts, and ship boarding specialists gathered together with other less specialized soldiers.
In the air, Seekers were coming, hundreds of them landing to the north of the airfield waiting for the call to go. Among them were boarding specialists, heavy weapons experts, specialized combat and tactics experts, and fighter wings.
Starscream walked toward them as he and his command group headed for the Ops Center. "What are you two maniacs going to be doing this time? Are you going to be fixing or breaking them?"
Sunstreaker snorted. "Both," he said as the smirking Seekers continued onward. Sideswipe watched them go, then spotted Ratchet. "There he is," he said as they both turned to skate toward the big medic struggling to hoist a large box of equipment into Gamma, his own platform. The twins would help.
-0-A classroom in a high rise nearby
They stood at the window watching the show below. The Seekers had been the first tip off so they had come to the window to see what was going on below. Great ships were moving at the airfield and the place was swarming with activity. Sunspot, himself a veteran of many a muster looked up to a grim Terradive. "They're going to fight aren't they?"
Terradive looked at Sunspot, then picked him up. He hugged the little Seeker. "We don't know."
"They're having a muster. I know. I've been in some," Sunspot said worriedly as he looked over his shoulder at the goings-on.
"Don't worry about it, Sunny. Optimus Prime is the boss. He'll know what to do. He has the Matrix," Terradive said soothingly.
Sunspot looked at Terradive. "I know. I just worry about my ada and atar. My brothers, too."
"Who in the universe could hurt them?" Terradive asked with a grin. "Ask Uncle Starscream what he thinks about the twins."
Sunspot grinned. "I already have," he said with a chuckle. He looked outside, then at Terradive. "I hate this," he said quietly. "I wish I could go and help them."
"I'm glad you can't, Sunny," Terradive said. "You're a child. Be one."
Sunspot lay his helm on Terradive's shoulder. "Okay," he said softly.
Standing beside Terradive, the children of soldiers watched with uncertainty at the activity below. Silverbow did, too. With frightened optics.
-0-TBC 2013 (1) edited 4-21-18