The Diego Diaries: Phase Six 7 (dd3 509)
-0-Salton Sea, out there
Silos sat on his command chair with a sense of confidence that few who didn't have control of all aspects of their life and business could match. He was the king of his world and now that was being challenged. They'd slipped into the migration as a way to bypass detection by roving Decepticon patrols. The migrations were being herded away from the Empire to become someone elses spark ache.
Prime had been a surprise. He knew about the colony and how they were taking in the civilians. Everyone knew that the Seekers had disappeared heading for the Great Elder who'd put out a call to come to Prime. That had been a game changer for many. Without air support the balance of power was shifting.
Nearly every Decepticon had the power of flight in some format or other. It was part of their central planning. It had held them to an advantage over the Autobots who favored grounder formats. Only rare Autobots flew though many could get off the ground if they needed to. With the Seekers, the war had shifted into their favor. Without them, there were rumblings in the army that favor would desert them as well.
Starscream had been a surprise, too. He knew that the Seeker Armada Commander was a part of Prime's enterprise but to see him now was still a big shock. Starscream had stood up to walk to a box on the floor nearby. Silo sat on his own command chair watching silently. Then Starscream arose with an object in his servo, one rising upward for Silo to see. He did. It was difficult to discern for a moment, then he did.
"Do you see clearly, Silo, or do I have to enlarge the image?" Starscream purred. Then he glanced at Blaster who complied. The image that Silo would receive was zeroed down to the object in his servo.
Prime sat on his command chair watching the spectacle, marveling once more that the marauding infuriatingly smart and crafty Seeker was a partner in his venture. Starscream was a solid, trustworthy, super intelligent and dependable partner.
It was amazing even yet.
Silo on the other servo sat with a frozen expression. He stared at the object in Starscream's servo with an unwavering gaze. Then with effort he glanced at Prime. "I'm assuming you got that the hard way."
"You would assume right. Would you like to see the other side? It is instructive," Starscream said.
Silo didn't answer, so Starscream turned the object over.
The malevolent incoherency of it slammed home to Silo like a punch in the face. He finally gathered himself. "Congratulations. You did what most of us only dream about. Putting Vos down must have been epic. I'm assuming you did. After all, that appears to be his face."
"You would be correct," Starscream said. "You did record a rather epic blast a short time back did you not?"
Silo smirked slightly. "We noted one."
"They had no idea how prepared we are to protect our people and colony against fraggers. They had no idea how prepared we are to save these refugees. I cannot imagine that Prime would be hesitant to add your face to his collection," Starscream said dropping the mask on the floor. It bounced, then fell over on the feature side, all of the murderous tines and blades showing starkly as it settled on the floor.
It was silent a moment, then Starscream kicked the box over. Recognizable and less recognizable pieces of the five DJD mechs spread out over the deck. Tesla coils, t-cogs, internal panels and other features rolled, then settled. "I rather like the idea of putting this in the museum, Prime. We could call it the 'spoils of war'."
"I concur," Prime said coldly.
Starscream looked at Silo with a smirk of triumph. "What shall it be, Silo? Surrender and live? Fight and die?"
"There may be a fight but we wouldn't be the only ones to die," Silo said even as the odds calculating in his helm began to go against him.
"If one mech or femme in this migration dies because of anything that you do, Silo, I will command the Seekers to unload on your ships," Prime said. "Five hundred Seekers." He glanced at Starscream. "Call them to come. Surround this group. Have them stand by for my command."
Starscream walked to a console and began to order the command together.
On a small section of the main screen forward, the movement toward the sector with this group began. It began as a few, then became a torrent.
Silo watched on his own screen as a horde of blinking yellow lights began to converge on their position. They swarmed around him, then began to appear on the monitor screens and through the view ports outside. Soon over 400 Seekers had them surrounded with more still coming. He considered his options. Turning to his second, he shook his helm. "They got the DJD. Those fraggers put down the DJD. That was Vos's face. I saw him take down someone once. It was a nightmare. What are the options, if any?"
His second shrugged. "You know what they are. Nothing. We got nothing."
Silo frowned in fury. "Frag. Frag, frag, frag. We either fight and get obliterated like the DJD or we surrender."
"I don't want to surrender," his second said.
"Options?" Silo asked with anger. There were none. "On screen."
Prime and Starscream were sitting on their chairs around a command table on the vast bridge of their ship. He looked at them. "Let's say we surrender. What will that mean and require?"
"You would have to be boarded. Before that, your ship weapons go offline and personal weapons get fused in lockers. You surrender, get searched and go under guard to jail on our colony world. Then if you have a clue, you give me your personal oath and one to the Matrix as well. If you break yours to me, you hurt my feelings. If you break one to the Matrix, It will destroy you. That is starters," Prime said.
"Doesn't sound too good, Prime," Silo said. "It offers nothing to me in exchange."
"Your life," Prime responded.
"Understand, Silo. You won't be allowed to leave this migration. We're offering you a choice of options of which there are only two. Surrender and live. Obstruct and die," Starscream said.
They waited.
It was silent.
-0-At a classroom in Autobot City, Mars
They knelt on the ground painting in the glyphs that they'd so carefully stenciled and outlined. The project was part of Rachel's Challenge, the program of empathy, compassion and kindness that Rachel Joy Scott's parents had birthed through the pain of her loss. The infants of Mr. Terradive's class were working along with others in other classes to implement a kindness of their own. When it dried, they would take all of them to the places where they would stay. It would be especially meaningful because it had come from the sparks of the students themselves.
Mr. Terradive stood in the doorway talking to other teachers as their students as well participated. It would be a nice quiet afternoon in the schools of the Primal Colony of Mars as outside the first ships of the massive reclamation began to land on the airfields nearby.
-0-Salton Sea, out there
It was silent.
Then Silo leaned forward. "We'd like to go. We'd leave and not come back. How's that for an offer?"
"You misunderstand our position, Silo. You do not have that option. We have narrowed it down to the ones already on the table. Take the offer or die," Prime replied calmly.
Silos stared at Prime as if to understand him by doing so. "You don't kill in cold blood. You're the soft sparked Prime."
"That's what Tarn said just before we blew him to the Pit. I'm very proud to say that Seekers accomplished that feat." Starscream glanced at Prime then grinned. "You don't have to say thank you."
Prime grinned genuinely. "Thank you."
"You're completely welcome," Starscream said with a grin of his own.
The feed cut again.
Silo leaned back trying to reconcile the images presented against the sure knowledge of what he thought he knew about things. It wasn't working.
His executive officer shook his helm. "Prime will blow us up."
Silos stood up, walked to the forward monitors, then back again. "He will. What the frag is this?! A parallel universe?! Since when did Prime get to be a slagger, too?!"
"Starscream? I would be, too, if I hung out with him too long," the exec said.
"You're a solid help I can see," he said to his sparring and berth buddy.
"What do you expect me to do, Silo? Pull a miracle out of my debris chute?" Magec asked with a shrug. "We're either going to live or die. I can tell you with a 100% probability that Prime will blow us up if we don't surrender."
"100%," Silo said gazing at his partner with disgust. "Frag."
"Surrender. That's my suggestion. Take it or leave it. They did, after all, show you Vos's face. Do you want yours on the wall with his in Prime's cabin?" Magec shifted. "Don't be a fool. Live to fight another orn."
Silo stared at him. "Frag," he said under his breath.
-0-At the doorway of a school on Mars
They stood in lines holding the enormous signs they'd made. They were taking them out to put them up.
Blondi had taken a moment of time from her duties to purloin three public works mechs to help. They walked together from the school to the airfield where they'd put the signs up where they could be read. They were welcoming messages to the refugees on their journey's end. The sun shown brightly down upon them and the exhausted overawed multitudes who were standing in long lines on the tarmac.
-0-Out there
Silo paced a moment, then sat again. Opening a channel to all his ships, he grimaced a moment. "This is Silo. We're surrounded and out numbered. Prime says surrender or die. He means it. That shoot out earlier really was the Decepticon Justice Division. Starscream just showed me their body parts. I'm ordering you to comply with my commands.
"Power down weapons and lock out of them. Take anything that looks like a weapon and put them into lockers. Fuse the locks. Prepare to be boarded and taken into custody. That's the only path to continuing. If you disobey me I'll help Prime slag you to the Pit. Understood?"
He waited for a moment, then pings came in. He leaned back, gathered himself, then nodded to communications. The channel opened. "We're powering down and disarming. We expect you to hold to your word, Prime."
"That's rich," Blackjack said with a smirk. "A 'Con telling the Prime to keep his word."
Prime grinned slightly, then looked at Silo. "I am sending Wrecker teams in to take control of your crew. Have them gather in your main rec rooms. Anyone hiding or standing any other place will be shot on sight. Understand?"
Silo nodded.
"Very well. Prime out," he said as the line was cut. Prime sat back with a grin in Starscream's direction. "Very nice."
"Thank you. I try," Starscream purred to general laughter.
Standing by the doorway with a look of awe on his face, a Home Guard mech watched experts disarm a terrible marauding group of Decepticons with the broken body parts of a worse group. He could hardly wait to get home to tell the tale.
Standing next to him, Rabbie watched with awe as well. Then he ventured closer hesitantly. "Sir?"
Everyone turned to him.
He blanched slightly. "How can I help you? I brought what you asked."
"You will help us with the next ones," Prime said. "Have a seat, youngsters, and remember. Do what we ask without comment or hesitation no matter how odd it may seem. Understood?" Prime asked.
Rabbie nodded, then stepped back beside the young security mech. He watched as the senior officers talked a moment as the box of items was placed back in the spot it had been before being tipped over. Wrecker battle shuttles began to surround the five ships Silo commanded. It played out on the huge forward monitor.
As that happened Prime made his next move.
Everyone sat back as Blaster opened a channel to the largest group in the mix. He nodded to Prime.
"This is Optimus Prime, Decepticon battle group. Identify yourself or die."
The two youngsters mechs looked on with awe and enormous tremendous fear. They would tell the stories that were unfolding to their friends and families for the rest of their lives.
-0-TBC November 11, 2013 12-23-2020