The Diego Diaries: Home At Last (373) edited
-0-Office of the Primes
Optimus Prime sat at his desk working on a stack of datapads that seemed to multiply before him, He would get one taken care of and two more would face him. Some of them were requests for interviews, others subpoenas for committees on Earth for himself and Ratchet. He was not going to honor those requesting his presence. He was a head of state and therefore exempt in his opinion from being 'summoned'. Ratchet on the other servo was his designated spokesman and believed in diplomacy. He would be the designated source of official Cybertronian commentary and no one else.
The door opened as Prowl peered in. "We have an anomaly on the radar," he said.
"On my way," Prime said rising halfway gratefully that he could step out and do something less tedious. They walked to the sensor station in Ops Center and paused. "What is going on and where is it, Tracks?" Optimus asked.
"We have a signal out there that is odd. It appears, then disappears," Tracks said. "I ran it through the databases to find a match and I did. The signal comes from the acid monster handlers."
Optimus considered that, then glanced at Prowl. "What about the two in the brig?"
"They're there. Do we bring them up or do you want to go to them?" Prowl asked.
"We'll go there and see if they will talk to us," Optimus said.
Prowl nodded, then turned and led the way to the brig.
-0-The Pit Stop
Ratchet sat back satiated from his 'samich' and 'wings'. He held Prowler who was awake and tweeting. The infant smiled as he lay on Ratchet's shoulder staring at the other patrons with great happiness. Hero had finished her lunch of fries and a piece of infant energon 'cheese'. She was content, wiping her face delicately with a napkin. "Ada? Am I clean?" she asked looking at Ratchet.
"You are," Ratchet replied with a grin.
"You look especially good, Hero," Ironhide said. "That little hat is sweet on you."
She smiled at him brilliantly. She patted the rose. "I liked it. Ada got it for me. Ada is so nice."
Ironhide smirked at Ratchet. "You don't know Ada like I do."
"You were a mercy bond, Ironhide. Never forget it," Ratchet said moving the dishes over so that the waiter could take them away. He grinned and thanked the waiter, then fixed Ironhide with a gimlet optic. "Tell me, Atar … when does femme get to school?"
"Not today. Femme is poorly. I already cleared it," Ironhide said fixing Ratchet with his own gimlet optic.
"So you did," Ratchet said. "Femme is going to get held back from going to first year of Sparkling School eventually if you keep this up. How many years of pre-school can a femme go through before it lowers their possibilities?"
"Femme gets stories every night. She gets advantages," Ironhide said. "Femme is going to be Prime some fine orn."
"Not if she can't dig in the sand and draw circles, she won't," Ratchet replied. "Daughter, you need to go to school."
Hero looked at him, then Ironhide. "I want to go with you, Atar."
"So do I but I have to go to the hospital and do my job," Ratchet said. "Your job is to go to school."
She looked at Ratchet, then her expression wilted. She looked at Ratchet sadly. "I like going with Atar."
"So do I but I have to go back to work in a moment. You have to go to school tomorrow. You can't ask atar to take you out," Ratchet said firmly.
Hero stared at Ratchet a moment, her little chin quivering, then looked at Atar. "I will miss you, Atar."
"Atar can come by with cookies when you have breaks, RIGHT atar?" Ratchet asked firmly.
Ironhide looked at him a moment, then the sad little femme with the droopy winglets. "Okay." He vented a sad sigh. "Humans have summer school. Why don't we?"
"Because," Ratchet replied.
Ironhide looked at Ratchet, then grinned. "Slagger."
"Wimp," Ratchet replied with a grin.
-0-Half a joor later
Ratchet glanced up from his desk as Ironhide entered. He set Hero down on the desktop and slid Prowler out of his hold. "What's up?"
"The handlers of the acid monsters want to meet up. Prime spoke to the two we have but they just hissed and looked fragging ugly. I wanted to shoot them in the face. Put them out of our misery," Ironhide said. He looked at his children. "Keep them handy, Ratchet. I should be back soon. We can make the rounds when I come back. We have armories yet to visit."
Ratchet nodded. "Is this going to be shooting or talking?"
"Sounds like talking," Ironhide said. He looked at his children, then turned and walked out without looking back. He couldn't so he didn't.
Ratchet, Hero and Prowler watched him go, then the infants turned back to their ada. Hero slumped a little. "Atar is going somewhere?" she asked sadly.
Ratchet slipped his arms around both and slid them close to him. "He has to. He doesn't want to but Atar and I are both soldiers. We have to take care of our colony, Hero. Things will happen and we don't like them either."
She stared up at him, then leaned against Ratchet's chassis. "I don't like it, Ada. Atar is my friend."
Ratchet felt things come apart inside. He looked down at her and kissed her helm. "He's mine too, Hero." He sat back and looked at both. Then he grinned. "You do know that we get more candy when he isn't here." Ratchet opened his desk and pulled out a canister of rust sticks. Handing one to each, breaking Prowler's in half, he sat back with one of his own. They looked at him, then the candy, then began to chew on it. It was slightly better.
-0-At the airfield
They gathered, then entered taking seats. Lifting off, Omega followed by Xantium and Beta disappeared into the darkness. The shining light of The Trigger could be seen as a bright spark overhead and they flew to it for take off. Entering the long runners, they took position and were given the go ahead as the aperture flared to life. They jetted through and were gone. The position would be held until they returned.
-0-Xantium
Springer and Drift sat with Kup, Ironfist and half a dozen other Wreckers as the great ship followed Omega and the Prime through the wilderness of oblivion. When they made it out the other side, they formed up in a wedge formation and began to trek to the rendezvous coordinates given by the creatures who called themselves Hish.
They had come close to the area of their sensor's influence which meant that they had alerted Cyclonus, Paragon and Soundwave. Given that they were allies of Megatron, their request held promise. Everyone but Prime had reason to be afraid, to wonder what the request would mean to their own side. Prime sat near the flight deck of Omega considering the possibilities. "Prowl."
"Prowl here."
"What is the status of the situation?"
"They have arrived at their location," Prowl said over the intercom. "We read three ships with cloaking capabilities. They are cloaked. We have triangulated their position by analyzing space with full spectrum scans. The space they occupy is a reflection of surrounding space rather than what should be there based on our extensive star charts of this area. We will send the coordinates of their location for Omega, Beta and Xantium to map."
"Very good. Keep me informed," Prime said. He sat back and considered the possibilities. In the brig were two of their kind. Whether they belonged to this group or faction, he didn't know. He would find out soon. He certainly didn't learn a thing from the pair who growled and hissed at them before being taken back to their cells.
They jetted onward, the new information allowing them to locate three medium sized ships that looked like they were designed for deep space flight. They had a long sleek appearance, rather like one of Earth's whales. They were circling a planetoid in the scattered destruction and left over planetary debris of the Oort Field. Prime signaled for his ships to slow and hold in space nearby. The ships didn't change their positions but their weapons came online as the three Cybertronian giants came onto their sensor gauges. Prime waited for a signal but one didn't come. Nodding to Ironhide, the big Autobot opened a channel for his leader and everyone listened.
"This is Optimus Prime. You have asked for a meeting. I am here. Identify yourself and your intentions," Prime said. They sat and waited.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then a guttural voice replied over the intercom system. "I am the One Who Comes."
"We are here as requested. We are waiting to hear what you have to say," Prime said acknowledging the voice.
"Come down to the surface of the planet before you. I will send you the coordinates. We wait for you." The link was broken.
"Come with me, Ironhide. Springer and Drift," Prime said.
"Springer here," a voice said over the intercom. "Drift here," another said.
"Come with us. We're going down. We'll pick you up," Prime said rising. He walked to the back of the ship and slid down a pole to the hangar deck below their own. A pair of runabouts were parked together near an outside hatch. They entered, Prime and Ironhide and powered up the vessel. They flew out the slowly opening hatch which closed behind them. At no time in the upcoming adventure would any of the Autobots leaving the flight be off the sensors and out of the range of weapons of Omega, Beta and Xantium Supreme.
-0-CMO's Office
"Then I was ascared. I was ascared and couldn't find you, Ada," Hero said recounting the orns of staying in the school overnight as the mission unfolded. Ratchet leaned on his elbows watching her with sympathy as she explained her fear that no one was coming back from her beautiful life. "Then Orion came and we went to go home. To-to and that other one found us. We had to stay."
Ratchet nodded sympathetically. "I know its hard. We missed you too. But we have jobs that get in the way. Atar would rather stay with you and so would I but we have duties. We will always come home."
"Atar was showing us stuff," Hero said with a slight weep. "We were down there where the big stuff is."
"In the armory?" Ratchet asked as he adjusted her hat. "Do you want to take your gear off?" he asked gently.
"I … okay," she said as Ratchet removed her little rosy jacket and hat. "I was ascared."
"Don't be, Hero. We will come home. It might take a little time but we will always come back. We know where you are and leave you with nice bots. Other Atars and Adas come when they can. We try hard to make you feel safe," Ratchet said. He sat back and looked around. "Guess what."
She looked at him. "What, Ada?" she asked.
"I was thinking that I need some help with stuff in some shelves that you could be perfect for," Ratchet said considering the little containers filled with different little bits and pieces that were on the bottom shelves of his cupboards in the lab nearby. "Wait here and don't fall off." He rose and when he was sure that the infants were safe on the top of his desk, he hurried to the lab and opened two doors on the lower cabinets. There were containers filled with things divided into several containers. He took four of them and dumped them into three piles. Mixing them with a servo, he rose and walked back. "There was an accident, Hero. Would you mind helping me by sorting them into their boxes again?"
She looked up at Ratchet, then smiled. "I will help you, Ada," she said nodding.
Ratchet grinned and picked her up hugging her. "I know you will." Stowing Prowler in his carry hold, he turned and walked out to the lab. Pausing, he set Hero down gently. "See these containers? They fell out when I opened the doors. What I need is someone to sort them into their containers." He put one of each into the proper container as a starter. "What do you think, baby?"
"I can do this, Ada. I will help you, okay?" she asked looking way up at the big bot.
Ratchet grinned. "I knew you could, baby." He moved to sit at a computer station to watch as Hero looked at the mess. She considered the problem, then began to sort the parts dropping them into the correct container one by one. It would take a while but she would do it.
-0-Down on planet side
Sheesh Kuk stood with his clans' three greatest warriors. They were here for the Great Hierarch to see what the enemy of their 'ally' was about and assess the threat. When the runabout came into view they watched as it settled nearby, the vessel not very prepossessing but bearing the strange decal of a face. Their allies had a face too, a distorted one of a purple color. They had alliances with those metallic giants to fight this group. They were told something of them but much had been unspoken. They had gone into battle against them, their sensibilities set for slaughter but had been slaughtered themselves.
The hatch opened and big metallic beings stepped out. They didn't need protection like the Hish. They could walk in vacuum and as they did Sheesh considered what an advantage that must be for these beings. Four of them walked forward, three very tall and massive but the one among them, the one he took to be the Prime … he was in a class by himself. Sheesh himself has seen the one called Megatron. This bot wasn't as tall but he was close. They were massive and dangerous. It galled him intensely that they were superior to his own people on the field of battle. The creatures stopped before him and the one he took to be Prime nodded. Holding up a device, the Prime waited. Sheesh Kuk understood and opened his own system to the alien so he could find the frequency for communication.
After a moment, Prime nodded. He transmitted his own speech through the device that would be translated when it reached the aliens. :I am Prime. I am here. Speak your mind:
Sheesh considered that then talked through his mask after working out the frequencies that were necessary to interface with the big alien. They were in the range that Hish never used but it was workable. :I am Sheesh Kuk of the Kuk. Our people are the Hish-qu-Ten. I am here for the Great Hierarch. I have many questions:
Prime nodded. :I am Optimus Prime, the Prime of Cybertron, the bearer of the Creation Matrix, the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. I am the supreme leader of my people and all like me everywhere they exist. Ask your questions:
The Hish looked at him, then nodded. :You then know of Megatron. Tell me of him:
Prime considered that. :I know him. He is a criminal that started a war against our people. We have fought him across oceans of time. He is not to be trusted or followed if you want your people to stay alive and free. He is the prince of lies:
Sheesh considered that. The Hierarch would agree. :We have alliances with him. We are hunters. We have not been told the truth of the enemy against which we fight:
Prime nodded. :He will never tell you the truth. You are a tool in his arsenal. You will in time lose your freedom and lives. No one is supreme in his sphere of influence but him. Your Great Hierarch is living on borrowed time. It is the way its always been with Megatron and its the way it will always be:
:You are a predator. You have killed many:
:Did he tell you that?:
Sheesh nodded. :You are the cause of the fall of your people. Of this, he was most emphatic:
:He lies: Prime said it simply, then waited.
The Hish looked at Prime, then turned to walk slowing around him. He was appraising them, feeling them out as he considered the words Prime had told him. :We are two kinds, our people. We have that in common with you. We have honor and the others don't. We are evaluating what we will do in relation to Megatron. The others won't. They will come and do harm in his name under his command:
:We will be waiting and defeat them: Prime said.
Sheesh Kuk considered that. :They don't die easily. They are the Killers: He didn't elaborate. He watched Prime.
Prime turned to him and nodded. :We are called the Autobots. We don't die easily either. If they come, they will regret it:
Sheesh Kuk considered that. :Perhaps:
Ironhide who was doing a slow burn glanced at Springer. That bot was watching the little organics with interest. They were between eight and ten feet tall, muscular, armed but essentially out of their class. He could bat them with a fist and they would die. They waited watching silently.
:You have called us here. What do you want?: Prime asked.
The Hish looked at him a moment, then replied.
-0-TBC July 21, 2013