The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 56 edited for boo-boos
-0-On the scene, out there
The post sims debrief was on the vessel that carried Ironhide and Prime. The group leaders floated over and entered. Gathering around the table littered with devices and datapads, they paused to take stock. The coordinates of the location were already in the Trigger and the recovered Decepticon bridge computer awaiting for the go from Optimus.
"Elita, you managed to put the grid off line in less time today. Your vessel will take you to the Hu An encampment when you signal them."
Elita nodded. "Good. We can help. We aren't clear yet how they will react when we strike. They might not be able to differentiate among us."
Prime nodded. "We have to make it very clear that we are different and there to rescue them."
"We have the universal language translators ready to go but we can only guess what they use for speech. They are telepaths after all," she said. "They might not even be capable of speaking aloud."
Prime nodded. "But they will be used to internal speech transmission which we use. I am sure that there were paths opened up by the Decepticons. They might be able to speak or at least understand our languages."
"We can but hope," Elita said nodding.
They discussed the plan going over every single aspect and possibility that could be considered, then they floated off to their ships and the Seeker flight leaving Prime, Alor, Blackjack and Ironhide on the command vessel. Flint who would be handling the alien situation was with Springer and his team. They would hit the Control Center and liberate the camp with the Hu An. They would also secure the computer's power source and keep the carnage at their HQ down to a minimum, guarding the lives of the energy aliens that ran their hyped up computer system.
Prime sat on his seat looking at the armada on his giant datapad as they gathered to go. Seekers in groups were gathered with the shuttle, Impactor's Revenge and Springer. Elita's group was nearby. The last group which would hit the mines themselves and help liberate the captive Cybertronians were on the other side of Elita's. Jazz would be leading that group.
"Prime to Ops Center."
"Ops Center here." Prowl sounded all business as usual.
"What is the bridge status?"
"We are go at your command," Prowl replied.
"We are go, Prowl. Give us a count and make it happen."
"Affirmative. We are go on five," Prowl said as he received the go from Trigger Command.
"The transport component. Is it go?" Prime asked.
"Affirmative," Prowl replied.
"Very well. Begin the count," Prime said signaling all the ships and Seekers in the group. "We are ready."
Prowl confirmed everyone, then began the count.
"Five ... four ..."
-0-'Impactor's Revenge'
The humans sat in the box behind Revo and saw with an unobstructed view all that would come in the jump ahead. They were tense and belted in, Revo making sure that they understood the importance of not being dumb fucks in the fast and furious events to come.
They got it.
Behind them on the other side of the flight deck bulkhead, the soldiers were standing with their weapons out, their own part clear in their processor and their comm lines synched.
-0-'End of the Line'
The mechs on the shuttle were lined up, twelve heavily armed soldiers on each side of the shuttle's hull. Topspin was lead on one side and Jazz the other as they poised themselves to do a thing they had done zillions of times before, execute a precision extraction against the enemy.
-0-'City of Altihex'
They stood in lines, their casual posture and smirking banter belying the seriousness with which they held their portion of the assault. They would go first and bury the ability of the enemy to send out alerts for help or to coordinate any defense among their troops. They listened to the count which would send them onward at three ...
"Four ... three ..."
The brilliant energy storm of a bridge appeared and the vessel jumped forward disappearing into it. All of the others who still waited watched as they did but they didn't have long.
"Three ... two ... one."
Lennox gripped his chair's arms as the energy exploded before them. Having only watched them through telescopes, the actual experience of bridges upclose and getting closer was breathtaking. Revo who sat quietly in front threw their vessel into an immediate jump and they fell rather than flew into the energy vortex of the bridge.
Lennox sat in his seat, the ability to do more than watch wrenched from his control. He felt stretched out to an impossible degree, then it snapped and he felt normal, the view returning from a maelstrom of smeared lights into a resolved tunnel. They seemed to hold in one place, the sensation of the tunnel moving past them while they waited intense. Then they burst out at the other end, the stars and view solidifying so quickly that he almost vomited.
They streaked toward a planet-sized fragment of rock and dirt, the sensation of collision enormous in their minds. The ship arched over and slowed, flashing toward the ground under the incredible skill of the former 'Con, Revo. It slowed and as it did, bots stepped into their ship bridges, flashing from the hold to the ground quicker than the optic could grasp.
They were down and the operation was go.
-0-Nearby on a planetoid with arrays and dishes
They hit the ground running, their shuttle slowing to nearly a halt to let them out. They had no bridge on their ship, their operation not calling for more stealth or speed beyond their stated objectives. They sprinted to their targets and set the charges, pulling back to group behind a ridge of broken rocks and impact debris. Crouching together, Elita nodded to Arcee. She nodded back and pressed the detonator lighting up the night for a brief second before vacuum took care of the firestorm of explosions.
The blast hit their location and scattered rocks and dust but nothing more. When they stood, all of the devices were obliterated. Turning and sprinting away, they reached their ship and it lifted off heading for the encampment of alien slaves and the major barracks area and command center of their overlords.
They were gone in seconds.
-0-On Prime's ship, 'The Diego Garcia'
"The comm system is down," Ironhide said as he read the data pouring in.
"Good," Alor said as he sat formulating and preparing alternative scenarios for every manner of problem that might arise. He coordinated with Prowl on Mars. It was covered.
"They have arrived at the mine and the main camp," Prime said as the first details began to come to their ship. "Put the cross talk up, Rem," he said leaning into the cockpit to his pilot.
Blackjack paused a moment from his position to listen, then returned to the job at servo, running sweeps on targets to locate the enemy for elimination or surrender.
The sound of mechs blasted in over the soft conversation of the command group. It would be broadcast to Mars and Diego Garcia, the two locations the only ones that would be allowed to listen. This would go out over the most encrypted line that existed between Mars and Earth. No one, not even the 'Cons would be able to break that encoded transmission.
"Go!"
"Hurry and take the gate! NOW!"
"Down! THE SEEKERS ARE COMING IN!"
There was a pause as that event took place, then the voices were back. Springer was directing mechs. "They took out the center guns! Go and take the control center! We are going to take the towers! GO!"
There was a lot of swearing and cursing, shouts and the sound of what could be the firing of weapons. The shuttles that hovered to await retrieval sent back images of the fighting on the ground. It was furious but proceeding as they planned. Their surprise was complete.
-0-At a mine
They rushed the camp when they were dropped. Nearly the entirety of the Cybertronian prison population was there. The guard contingent was only 100 'Cons and the prospect of taking the camp quickly was good. Darkness covered them and the dampening armor they wore made their detection difficult at distances over 30 meters.
The towers of the barracks were taken down as they split up to neutralize all of the enemy. The barracks were run down with few amenities and poor lighting. The prisoners in the courtyards froze in place as the sight of armed mechs rushing them surprised them into silence. Then they turned and ran for the barracks, running inside and slamming the doors shut.
It actually made things easier that they did.
-0-At the command center shoot out
The 'Cons were caught flat footed and ran for their bunker command center. They were shot down as they did but some made it. The fire that came out of the windows was intense but they were thrown into disarray by the surprise attack. A firefight broke out between those trapped inside the damaged building and those hiding behind equipment or occupying the prison guard posts for shelter.
-0-'The City of Altihex'
The vessel screamed in from the backside of the command center slowing enough to drop off Elita and her team. There were no sensors to detect them left so they hurried without obstruction over the broken ground to the top of the ridge that sheltered the center. Pausing at the lip, they looked down.
:We need to blow it without harming the computers: She looked toward the building that would control the power system and saw two bots crouching to defend it. :The power source is secured. Let's open up this tin can: With that, Elita-1 stepped into the air and dropped 25 meters to the roof of the building.
The rest of her team followed.
-0-At a mine entrance
:'CONS! GIVE IT UP! EITHER COME OUT UNARMED OR I WILL DROP GRENADES INTO THE HOLE AND SEAL YOU IN FOREVER!: Jazz peered around the corner of his position and saw nothing happening at the mine entrance.
:WE HAVE PRISONERS!: a voice at last replied.
:WE HAVE SLAGGIN' GRENADES! LET THEM COME OUT, THEN COME OUT YOURSELF WITHOUT WEAPONS! SURRENDER AND LIVE! DO IT NOW OR DIE! YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICES!: Jazz replied, his weapon locked and loaded in his servos.
:WE'LL KILL THE HOSTAGES!: the reply came.
:WE'LL KILL YOU! HURT EVEN ONE AND WE BLOW YOUR AFTS TO THE PIT! YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE! EITHER GIVE UP OR DIE FOR MEGATRON! HE DOESN'T GIVE A FRAG AND NEITHER DO WE! SURRENDER OR DIE!:
They waited.
-0-Behind Jazz
The round up of the remaining Decepticons in the camp was being undertaken as well as the organizing of the prisoners. They were in poor shape and nearly beside themselves with joy and disbelief. A large number of them were holed up in their barracks, unwilling to believe that their liberators were friendly.
Word was sent to Prime who sent it to Autobot City. By the time it reached there, the Guardians and their support staff including Ratchet leading the medical team were moving skyward to make their way through the gates.
-0-TBC For Pip
2013 (3)