The Diego Diaries: Follow Up 10 (dd3 164)
-0-Out there
They began to move forward, a hundred ships at a time. They began at the edge of the migration farthest from Paragon's group, flying into the bridge with Seeker escort headed for Fort Apache. Along the line from the stand off to the farthest limit of range for the Decepticon vessels, Seekers stood on hulls, their weapons poised to strike against any aggression made by the intruders.
The Decepticon Seekers stood together magnetized to their own ship hulls to watch them, the silence between the two sides adding to the tension. The big mech, Arrow stood on Paragon's ship staring across the void. He was filled with fury and revenge but he waited. He would get his turn.
Red Wing landed on a hull of a vessel nearby, one that had born some brunt of fighting during the initial 'adjustment' phase of the groups combining. He looked at it, then walked to the hatch rapping on it. It slid open when he showed his Autobrand through the window.
Entering, the door slid shut. A group of frightened weary passengers stood together staring at him without a sound. He nodded to them as he glanced around the flight deck. "I'm Red Wing. I'm the field ops commander of the fighter group that's guarding you. We've stationed a lot of Seekers here to protect you. What you have to do is tell me what you need and we'll get it to you. Because you're on this side of the group we'll be taking you out later than the others. Do you have anyone who needs medics or taken to the hospital ships?"
The oldest appearing mech shook his helm. "We're hungry and tired but otherwise in good shape."
Red Wing nodded. "What can you tell me about this? Prime is collecting intel."
"He's here? We heard his voice but is he really here?" another mech asked with a strained voice.
"He is," Red Wing said with sympathy. "So is Starscream and Omega. We have Guardian Supremes and battle cruisers filled with Wreckers and front liners. You don't have to be afraid."
They looked at him, then nodded gravely. "We were part of the original group fleeing with the Tinkers."
"Tinkers?"
"A group that had left Cybertron and made their living going from place to place working for the locals, doing all manner of things technical and otherwise. They're led by Mack, the manager of this whole thing. He and the Autobots got more organization and discipline into the migration which saved a lot of us. We wouldn't have stragglers but for the Decepticons. They wouldn't allow us to help them. You will get them won't you?" the older mech asked anxiously.
"We already are," Red Wing said. "Our other bridge is collecting them."
"You have more than one bridge?" a youngling mech asked with big wide optics.
"We have two with more in development," Red Wing said. He grinned slightly. "These slaggers have picked a bad foe."
The mech smiled slightly, glancing at his party with relief. "I think so."
"I'll have someone bring food. I would suggest that you rest and wait for the word to go. You'll move out under heavy escort. Don't panic or get upset. We're here to protect you," Red Wing said.
"The others, the Seekers with the 'Cons. What about them? We know there's a kill order out on you," the mech asked.
"We know about that. So do they," Red Wing said. "We're going to have to show them the error of their ways." He walked to the door to leave, tapping the hatch release to climb outside onto the hull. The hatch closed as they watched him walk to the view ports in the flight deck outside. He bent down and wrote glyphs detailing the ship, her passengers and their need on the windows with a glowing marker. With a nod, he jumped off and floated to the next ship. As he did, two Seekers floated to their vessel and magnetized, their weapons on display for the other side to see.
The mech glanced at the others. "I think we'll be alright. The Seekers are here to protect us."
They looked at him, the cognitive dissonance as clear on their faces as he knew it was on his. Food would come and they would energize, feeling relief for the first time in ages. Then they would settle in to wait.
-0-Omega
The hatch opened and a mech slipped inside, a black mech with red details. He was a winger, a mech who looked strong and able. He walked to the command table with Cloud Burst. "Prime, this is Mack."
Optimus looked at him and nodded. "Welcome, Mack." He stood and offered his servo. They shook in the Cybertronian way, then Prime gestured for him to sit. The hatch opened again as Prowl appeared walking to the table to sit as well. "Mack, this is Prowl, the S.I.C. This is Ironhide."
They all nodded, the new mech startling as Cloud Burst returned with a cube of energon. He took it, sipping it slowly. He blinked with surprise. "This is good."
"Its Class A," Prime replied.
Mack looked at him a moment then the cube. "I've never had the good stuff."
"Get used to it," Ironhide said with a slight grin. "That's all we have at Autobot City."
Mack looked at him levelly for a moment. "Alright."
Prime nodded to Cloud Burst who walked to the hatch. He stepped out as the hatch closed. "I understand that you lead the migration."
"I do," Mack said sitting back against the hull, his fatigue evident. "We began to come together early on when we were being driven this direction. There were smaller groups, sometimes one or two ships as well as big ones. They needed organization and we had to help each other. There was no going back, no deviation from the route we were on. Then the others came."
"Where?" Ironhide asked.
"From the general direction of the Benzuli Expansion. We had a conversation when they appeared. They told us they were coming along and that no one was allowed to stop. They would protect us, they said."
"The Autobots and Seekers with you," Prowl asked. "Was there conflict?"
"Verbal but no shooting. The Autobots and Seekers on our side actually helped us. They were professional soldiers and very hard afted about the migration. I think they helped keep the 'Cons away from us overall," Mack said.
"Did you ever meet Paragon in person?" Prowl asked as he took notes.
"No. Only on the screen. He's one cold fragger. He wouldn't let us help the ones who fell back. They're being assisted, right?" Mack asked anxiously.
"We're taking them ahead through the other bridge," Ironhide said. "They're being scanned and we're checking the ships we retrieve against your manifest list of the migration. No one will be left behind."
Mack sagged slightly, his relief immense. "I'll do whatever you need me to do to get this done. My group was called Tinkers. We went from place to place working and looking for others. I can't find my family, my brother. All of us are missing family. I'm told Autobot City is big. That there might be family there."
"We have good luck that way, Mack," Prime said gently.
Mack nodded. "I haven't seen him since The Fall. We were separated. He was in prison and I was in Capital City gathering everyone I could to leave. I couldn't find him. The prisons … were they freed?"
Prime considered his question. "Some were. Some weren't. We have intel and we're going to be going back to them soon. We had to retrieve the migration."
"My brother was imprisoned because he was a dissident. He wasn't a criminal. He was a patriot," Mack said clarifying his remarks. "Jetta was locked up by Sentinel and his goons."
For a moment no one spoke. Then Prime straightened. "Are you Mack? The younger brother of Jetta?"
Mack nodded. "Yes."
"Jetta is free. He is at Autobot City. He is one of my oldest and dearest friends. I never met you but he talked about you a lot," Prime said.
Mack stared at him then set the cube down. He blinked a moment with surprise then looked at Prime with disbelief. "My brother and I have the same paint scheme. He's very tall and a good mech. He organized unions, mostly in mining and got rounded up for being an activist dissident."
Prime nodded. "I know. He is the City Engineer for Autobot City and Mars, the world we have settled. He is bonded with Elita-1."
"He did?" Mack asked. "He did," he said softly. He sat back and hung his helm. "Jetta is okay."
They sat together a moment in silence. Then Prowl leaned over to touch his arm. "You can go through the bridge if you want to. You can see him."
He considered that a moment. "I would love to but I have to help our people."
"You're Jetta's brother alright," Ironhide said with a grin. "Self sacrificing slagger just like him."
Prime grinned. "Truer words never spoken."
-0-At the other end of the migration
They'd scanned to the last ship, a small shuttle that had broken down. The passengers were in various stages of grief and fear when the Seekers arrived with two Wrecker fighter shuttles and medics. Spotting them, they stood helplessly at the windows, their fright evident to the rescue team.
They wouldn't open the hatch until they heard from Prime personally. Then they did. It was bad inside. They were starving, there were two very ill younglings and a hysterical elder who needed hospitalization for emotional distress. The adults in the group were seriously depleted and obedient to a fault for the rescue team.
It was agonizing to see.
They towed the vessel forward until they reached a rendezvous point where others were coming from other directions. They were checked off the master list provided by Mack's ship and by the time the gathered group was ready to go through the bridge all of the stragglers would be located and marked for pick up.
No one would be left behind.
-0-Gamma
They began to get injured and sick patients, the worst of the worst who couldn't wait much longer. Working feverishly, Ratchet and Gold Wing along with three trauma teams operated and repaired so that their patients could be transported.
Shuttles stood by waiting to receive stretchers filled with the injured as they were passed from Gamma for transport to the city. Any medical cases coming through the bridges were given priority on the other side.
The Seekers had dispersed along the danger side of the migration and the shuttles filled with soldiers were used to help with the field medics, the stragglers as well, to show the flag to Paragon. The size and power of their battle group was intended to not only fight any battles that were necessary. It was also designed to inspire fear and loathing in the processors of the enemy. Whether they accomplished that, Prime couldn't know. That would happen when they began to move the groups closest to Paragon's forces.
They would see who blinked first.
-0-On the other side at Fort Apache
Blackjack stood in the middle of the frenetic reclamation going on in all the open space of the fortress. Supremes were parked in a giant circle as they operated as hospitals and receiving stations. Femmes, infants and younglings along with the elderly were lined up with Gypsy at Kappa. Her team was working inside Kappa as well as out.
The place swarmed with refugees, some in hysterics, others with that deadly calm that the completely emotionally exhausted exhibited when the end was in sight. Overhead, the space bridge disgorged hundreds of ships which then took up station nearby waiting their turn according to their priority.
The bridge would pause shortly and allow the first transfer of reclaimed refugees to go to Autobot City and the final leg of their journey. Right now, the bridges brought them here. Taking them away to there would be next. It couldn't come too soon, Blackjack thought, as all around him nearly every available space was crowded with suffering and bewilderment.
Alor who was standing with him looked upward. :More are coming. We better signal a halt to clear the decks here:
:Agreed: Blackjack said. Alor walked back inside to message Prime. Blackjack didn't know how the 'Con slaggers were doing but he didn't care. There was enough firepower here to destroy worlds. He looked around and walked toward the fortress to do his part in the miracle.
-0-TBC 2013 (1) edited 8-19-15 5-3-19