The Diego Diaries: Go 1 (636)
-0-Autobot City, Military Airfield, Primal Colony of Mars
The big ships began to rise up carrying the soldiers, gear, supplies, technical personnel and resources to support all of the mission for a very probable shooting war cum rescue. It was the definition of irony that the leaders of the last shooting war a few migrations ago were walking to detention in the prison nearby at the same time. Blind Spot and Turmoil had been granted supervised provisional parole by the courts because the 'hold-detention' clause of modified martial law had run out. They were either to be charged and tried or put on conditional release. A complete release was out of the question given the report declaring them a menace to society in their current state but wandering four joors a day was possible.
The noise was deafening and the power released made objects buzz across table tops all over the city as the force lifted off. It comprised of veterans with a few civilians and untried newcomer Autobots added to the mix for shipboard security, all of them armed to the teeth for a very, very tough mission. The sun glinted off the shining white ships and two Arks that were primed to leave if called. It was an orderly chaos altogether.
-0-The lay of the 'land' ...
If the Sol system was the center of everyone's sought after universe, the field of play ran out like spokes from that hub. The Proxima Centauri Deep Space telescope had been moved out further as the Oort Field became more and more secured. From four light years to nearly thirty at present, the big telescopes, cameras, sensors and communications relays were their optics on the enemy. Far to the 'right', if there is such a thing in endless space was Fort Cybertron. It had become their newly acquired line in the sand that had been established by Paragon, the new stand-in subcommander of Ops Center when Prowl was otherwise occupied.
This fort had been expertly constructed, heavily armed and designed with the idea of improvements to be added as the garrison grew. It didn't take the resource-rich, highly motivated experts of Autobot City to bring it up to speed technologically and militarily. Those that were working there did so in the usual comfort that Prime ordered for his soldiers. They had good quarters, better food and access everywhere by space bridge. It would take seven orns of swift flight to reach their space otherwise.
A big Seeker who was the son of Rainmaker had been tapped to command the installation. His name was Flash. He was aptly named. No one in Seekerkin could match him at top speed. Even the big ships. He was huge, good sparked and enormously dedicated. He was a perfect choice.
If one flew onward toward Cybertron the fall back base of Soundwave would appear on the sensors. It was built in a debris field of a failed planetary system. It was there that energon had been found in good quantities. It had been incubated in the seething fires of a planet flung from Gliese 667 during the early days of the universe. It had naturally occuring energon, the rarest substance known and had incubated in great quantities in its planetary mass. Given that Gliese 667 was a tri-star system with a smaller star nearby, all of which were smaller than the sun of the Sol System, the possibilities of a planet slingshotting into free space were great.
At some point in the distant past a system planet itself had been propelled out of its home base orbit around the Gliese 667 stars into interstellar space to wander as so many millions and billions of rogue exoplanets did. When it reached the heavy debris field where its remains now floated, it had collided with a comet and shattered. It would be eons of time before Soundwave's soldiers stumbled upon it, finding salvation and safety from Megatron's eventual return in its scattered remains. This was the source of new energon for Cybertron and its suffering population. This would also be Soundwave's fall back place of retreat and regrouping.
An accident of fate would be his refuge eons later.
If one left that emerging installation and went 'west' across the galactic plane one would cross the main migration trail for fleeing Cybertronians heading away from the Empire. It was also the trading lanes for any number of exploring as well as merchant alien species. They were now finding other paths to follow given the emergence of the 'metallics' and their murderous rampages on all they encountered. The reputation of their species was becoming very bad in the galaxy.
Continuing onward you would pass the Proxima Centauri Deep Space Array on your voyage to the next installation, the base of the free booting pirate, Slacker. He had constructed a big oasis for his fleet and was gathering to his side numbers of ships and soldiers. Beyond smaller marauding vessels, he fielded four battlecruisers and over 2,000 piratical soldiers.
Farther away from him across a huge dense cometary field lay the stronghold of Cyclonus. He had been hard at work digging in, making a nearly impregnable fortress and base for over 50 ships and 10,000 soldiers, all of them veterens of the Decepticons. Even though his allegiance to the Decepticons and Megatron was over, he ran his operation like the soldier that he was. In the dense debris and cometary ice and dust of his sphere of influence, he had made himself nearly impossible to root out.
It was past him, through this clatter of debris, ice, asteroids, planetary fragments, dust, rocks and comets that a new migration trail had emerged. They would be coming slowly and carefully, sometimes skirting obstacles, sometimes blasting them. They would have Seeker escort but not much else. It was considered unlikely that Autobot soldiers were of any real consequence in their midst.
The migration would continue forward deeper into the Oort Field coming into proximity to Fort Apache. Nearly 15 light years out into the maze, they would be ready to assist the fleet that was going to appear in their region through the space bridges. From there, it would be a straight escort to the Sol system or an even shorter journey through space bridges.
What still wasn't accounted for were the following … the organic aliens with their acid monsters. It was still unclear but perhaps as many as three mother ships were in the area following along at a distance the new migration. That didn't account for two other free floating pirate groups of unknown size and two Decepticon groups free booting around that sector as well. If they were aligned to anyone in the area, no one knew yet. They could be associated or not. That didn't count either for another unknown group far out along the arm heading their way. That group would on their current trajectory pass relatively close by Camp Gliese necessitating either boosting that station with more fire power or moving Gliese even faster than planned.
That didn't even address another unknown whose presence was blocked by the debris and ambient radiation of the area … the Wanderers. They were also following the new migration and the ever growing signal of Optimus Prime. They themselves following were also being followed.
It was very, very fluid.
-0-At the Trigger
They massed, ships and Seekers forming up to go through the tunnel of infinity that was going to open in moments. Ironhide stood on the flight deck of the Salton Sea, an image of Prime on the forward monitor. "We are nearly go, Prime. Anything you want to add?"
"No. Let us know right away about any changes. Keep the lines open," Prime said with a nod.
Ironhide nodded back, then turned to the command chair. He sat sitting back. "We're good to go."
"Very well. We're switching you over to the Trigger Control," Prime said as he sat back. He would stay on screen for the duration of the mission. Behind him, Ironhide could see everyone working including both Prowl and Paragon. Arrow, his bond would be on the mission in Red Wing's flight.
"Trigger Flight Control, we are go. Give us your status, Mission 1," Wheeljack said over the comm stystem.
"We're ready to go, 'Jack," Ironhide said.
Wheeljack appeared on one of the screens. "I am transmitting the order of departure, Ironhide. Good luck."
"Thanks, 'Jack," Ironhide said noting the order list on his chair console. "Thundercracker, time to go," he said over the comm line.
"Blue 1 here ... we read you," Thundercracker's tenor replied over the comm speakers. With that, hundreds of Seekers gathered in flights, then flashed forward as the vortex of energy burst into sight. By the time they were ready to fly inside it was stable and waiting for them. They disappeared swiftly. Behind them, revving their engines, the battle cruisers began to move forward followed by ten Wrecker battle shuttles. Two by two, they flew onward disappearing as well.
The aperture would remain open for the mission.
-0-Ratchet
He entered Ops Center walking past mechs working at any number of stations. It would be round the clock for the duration. He himself would direct the medical side of the mission from here. The infants were with family but for Prowler who was sleeping inside his hold. Sojourner would be spending the mission in a sleeping box under the console of Teletraan III, a place of honor where most of the family's infants had slept away many a long night or day. The rest were in the tender care of family and the Community Child Care Center in between shifts of the grandgenitors. He sat watching as Prowl frowned over the datapad. "Why the frown, Prowler?"
"Because I dislike fraggers," Prowl said as the lights on the pad showed everyone arriving on the other side. They congregated at Fort Apache which was being commanded by Flint. Blackjack and Alor were at Camp Gliese. Flash commanded Fort Cybertron. All were well covered but there was always random slag that couldn't be anticipated. He sat back considering Ratchet. "I assume you have something in that carry hold that belongs to me?"
Ratchet snorted, then grinned broadly. "Make you a trade."
"Dreamer," Prowl replied. "This is going to be ugly."
Ratchet nodded. "I know. If it were open space we could go in force with the big ships but the debris field is going to be a fragger."
Prowl nodded. "I have grown to hate this. We have lived a good life here with relatively few infamous moments. I would like to continue that."
Ratchet nodded. "From your lips to Primus's audials," he said as he looked over at Optimus sitting at the Communications console. They would be on duty for a while.
-0-On a battlecruiser, the Salton Sea
"You do what I tell you without hesitation or smart aft bravado, understand?" Springer said to the two younglings who sat in the lounge with the crew of Springer's battle shuttle. He had drawn the two inexperienced younglings for his own ship making sure that he would be able to corral their butts in case of shooting. Lon and Smokey looked at him with solemn expressions nodding with every instruction. Soon they would board their shuttle but for now they were with Springer who was clearing the basic plan with Ironhide. Rising, he turned to walk to the command bridge, the two younglings following.
In a joor they would be on a Wrecker-specific fast battle shuttle heading behind the Seekers as they led point from Fort Apache toward the migration which was somewhere in the midst of a mass of planetary fragments, asteroids, boulders and comets fending for themselves against the several wild cards, the pirates, rogue independent Decepticon marauders and Cyclonus.
-0-Human Habitat, Tower Habitat, Mare Tranquilitatis, Mars
They packed their bags, their shift on Mars coming to an end. The NEST soldiers were heading for home and a short vacation with the family. Charlotte Mearing and Seymour Simmons were eligible to return as well but begged off prefering to watch the mission from ground zero instead.
The soldiers would be clued in for the duration but their services were of little use so they decided to fly home and take a break. This mission looked like it would take a while anyway. Outside, the city went about its business as far away the cream of their army and air force gathered to retrieve lost members of their tribe in the wilderness. It weighed on their mind that it might be something different than the others. It was frightening to think that this could be a shooting war this time.
-0-Out there, our guys
They flew through the blackness of space in a tight formation, the Seekers ranging farther afield to detect things that might be lurking in the gathering debris of the area. As they did they scanned detailed views of the paths ahead which were sent to the ships for analysis and inclusion in their map updates.
The Seekers were the usual mix, data scanners, teams with a heavy gunner partnered with a close combat/boarding expert as well as heavy gunners for fending off attacks. They were included to make sure that anyone who attacked the big ships paid for it dearly.
As they flew, they began to read echoes of others nearby. Several ships of a relatively unidentified nature began to appear, their signatures only partly detailed in Autobot databases. The organic aliens of the past with their monsters that spewed acid were nearby following, paralleling them as they pressed ever onward.
No one wanted to see them here. The acidic saliva of the black reptilian monsters actually ate through their armor and harmed bare protoform underneath. Ratchet and Sciences had nothing to give them to prevent the injuries in spite of concentrated effort on finding an antedote. Springer even had scars on the bottoms of his peds from contact. The last thing they needed was interference from them.
Ironhide glanced at Sensors. "What is the read on those acid fraggers, Dev?"
Devcon glanced at him, then shrugged. "They're shadowing us, Ironhide. There have been no aggressive moves. They seem to be taking a measure of us for now."
Ironhide nodded, then glanced at the monitor. Prime was talking off screen to Prowl, then turned back him. "We have the organics shadowing us."
Prime nodded. "Just want we needed."
Ironhide nodded. "They didn't do too well before and I'll make sure it hurts worse this time."
Prime nodded. "What is the path like ahead?"
"Its getting messy," Ironhide said as he shifted the image to Prime at his end. It was a mass of smaller debris, rocks and boulders. Not far ahead it would get worse. The part of it that was currently circling the Pit could theoretically mean that there could be a 'Con behind every boulder, flying bit of rock and ice and they wouldn't know until someone opened fire.
It was fragged.
-0-TBC February 26, 2014 edited 2-26-14