The Diego Diaries: Oh (644)
-0-Out there
"Frag," Kup said softly.
A frenzy broke out as creatures latched onto all of them that they could reach. The mechs were crawling with them, ugly pale creatures covered in slime, all of them crablike in their configuration. They swarmed everyone crawling upward toward their faces.
Kup turned in a frenzy scraping and slapping at the beasts which broke into pieces of slimy creature parts. He bumped into Springer who was battling his own horror. Smokey who had his share along with Lon was screaming, lunging in all directions to free himself from the nightmare embracing them.
"WHAT THE FRAG! KILL THEM! DRIFT! FRAG!" Springer screamed as he swiped his servos down his body killing dozens of the beasts. Yet more kept coming, looking for a foothold as Hercy and Sandstorm helped the others pull them off. The insanity continued a moment, then halted.
Standing in pools of ooze and broken creature parts, they stood taking in the others. They were slimed but unharmed. Kup who was livid turned to glare at Springer. "GET IN THE FRAGGING AIR AND TELL US WHAT'S OUT THERE!"
"WAIT! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT ALREADY!?" Smokey demanded totally forgetting rank and protocol.
Springer who was rubbing his arm against a tree to free himself from slime glanced at him. "You don't show your whole hand, kid."
"Well, frag that, youngling," Kup said. "Noble sentiments under better circumstances but I think we need recon."
Springer nodded, then stepped away from them, tip toeing warily into the clearing. None of the pods appeared to be alive so he transformed and lifted up. He rose above a forest that extended forever in all directions. Nearby, he could see a waterfall and large pool of water. Coming down, he landed. "Put Sandstorm on my back. I'll send you the coordinates to follow. I'll watch for slaggers when I drop him off." He sent the directional coordinates to Kup, then gathered himself as Sandstorm lay down on his broad back. "Hang on, Sandy," he said as the big mech gripped him as best he could. He lifted off and disappeared.
"Frag," Kup said disgustedly. He looked at the others, then scanned the trees for observers. There were five up high watching them. He gave them the Cybertronian version of the finger, then the group turned to follow him into the jungle. There would be no trail so it would be thick vegetation all the way. Fortunately for them that was no problem.
-0-On the liner, Glory
Ratchet watched the row of infants sitting on boxes drinking formula from bottles that were dialed in to meet the degree of protoform wasting that they had. It wasn't terribly bad but it was there nonetheless. They looked at him with big optics as they sat drinking their first good energon ever. Nearby, adas and atars, elders and friends held infants who were also drinking from bottles. Food was being distributed to all on board, the standard starvation wafers that would ease abused and neglected systems back into action after being long away from good or even regular nutrition.
"Doctor?"
Ratchet turned to the adults, specifically one who was young and holding a baby that was relatively new. "Yes?" he asked as kindly as he could around his rage. Medics were all over the ship helping those in need including a number of high castes who were ailing.
"What is the colony like? Is it safe?" the youngster asked.
Ratchet nodded. "It's awesome. Prime made it a fortress and our army and air forces protect it. You can live and work there. You can go to school there. All the infants have to go. Its the law. We have celebrations, the Festival of Primus. We have the Temple restored and the artifacts of the Thirteen. Guardians and city formers live there. We are safe. You will be too. We are nearly four million."
They looked at him, then each other. Then the youngling mech burst into tears. He wailed and cried, his infant joining him in empathy. Ratchet walked to the young mech, then squeezed his arm. "It will be alright. We will take care of you. All you have to do is come to the colony and live. It will be okay."
"The System. Prime said its over," an elder asked as he patted a baby who was fussing.
"It is as dead as Megatron is going to be some day," Ratchet said with a firm expression. "You have Prime's word for it."
The elder leaned back relieved. "Thank the Maker."
-0-Out there
He pulled into orbit around the planetoid where he was making his base. It was in progress but would be more swiftly erected with the addition of nearly 4,500 new workers. It meant 4,500 more mouths to feed but that would come along. Each of the ships they had taken were equipped to make energon. He would let them dig for the correct minerals and make it. They would be allowed to live and work for him. That there were families here with infants and elders would help keep the order. If there needed a few executions to make the point, he would see to it.
His ship went down and landed. Nearby, other ships would too. They would be disabled both for flight and communications. Already, they had every weapon possible extracted from their 'guests'. Now they would be able to dig in and wait for anyone coming by or anyone foolish enough to come to find them. He walked to his command center as behind him his soldiers were rousting civilians from their ships.
-0-In another fragged up place
They came down a slope and jumped into the water. Furious cleaning and dunking commenced as they struggled to wash off the thick viscous 'blood' of the dead creatures. Kup who was floating on his back in relief glanced at Lon who was floating next to him. "It would have been game over if those things were acid monsters."
"Do you suppose they live here? They did put us down here and we followed a trail. What if they aren't local but sort of ... egg things for the acid monsters? What if that's how they start?" Smokey said as he sat in the water up to his neck.
"Then they're parasites. They have others do the work and reap the benefit," Drift said as he considered that. "They put us down here to experiment with us. They wanted to see what would happen when those ugly fraggers jumped us."
"I'm no Perceptor," Sandstorm said. "But it seems to me that they would need something organic to do that. We aren't even in the slightest organic."
"And now they know that," Springer said as he stood up in the water. He walked to the shore, then sat down on a moss covered rock. "They're getting intel on us. We have to withhold as much as we can."
"It would be good that they don't know we can see them," Hercy said as he sat on a rock near the waters edge. "Fraggers know enough as it is. Did you see high ground up there?" he asked glancing at Springer.
"About ten clicks from here is a rise of land with a pile of rocks topping it. If we get there you can set up and maybe they can find us. It will also be easier to defend than out here in the open," Springer said as he sank below the water.
Nearby a waterfall fell down a jagged slope, a waterfall that would have delighted humans but did little more than provide a spigot for their intense unease with alien spew. Lon and Smokey sloshed through the pool heading for it. They turned to sit on the rocks over which it poured, feeling the rush of cool water against their backs. It felt great.
:You okay?: Lon asked.
:I am now: Smokey said glancing at the youngling sitting beside him. :If I never see one of those things again it'll be too soon."
:You said it: They sat quietly a moment. :Do you think we'll get out of here?: Lon asked.
:I think so. We're with the best: Smokey said nodding. As he sat nodding, he watched the trees fill up with shimmering aliens hiding in plain sight.
-0-At the migration
The Salton Sea plowed a path for group after group of civilian ships. They had recovered nearly 400 Autobot soldiers, some of which had found lives in the civilian world of refugee camps. Old friendships were renewed as slag was exchanged over the com systems of ships moving forward toward safety. One of them had been the liner, Glory. She was under the control and command of soldiers with medics handling the passengers. Over 2,000 individuals were recovered on that ship alone. By the time Prime was flying back to the front of the migration it had been nearly halved. At the present rate, they would have everyone cleared from the area in another orn. He met the Salton Sea, then boarded it on the flight deck walking from there to the bridge.
Ironhide who was standing over the command table turned to greet him. "We have a bead on the pirates," he said.
Prime paused as Ironhide filled him in showing a traced line on the data map on the table that showed the probable path of Trannis and the missing civilians. It lead away from the direction of Slacker and Cyclonus out into deeper space and an area of large planetoids many of which had tiny captive moons. It would be difficult to take the mech on because the potential for ambush was vast even as the numbers of possible sites for his base were equally so. They would have to scan everywhere and every place when they went for the civilians.
And they would.
Ratchet walked onto the bridge pausing by the table. "I have forwarded the information to the Office of the Colonial Prosecutor. Coln-2 and Barron should get on it right away."
Prime nodded. "There are ten other mixed vessels that I have seen. There are likely many more. All of them have cooperated even at their colonies, eliminating the System themselves. It would appear this liner is our only offender thus far. I will be glad when the orn comes when there are no caste problems landing on our doorstep."
"That will be a great orn, Optimus," Ratchet said squeezing the big mech's arm. "Right now, we're on track medically."
"Then you are free to take a ship or bridge back, Ratchet. We will call you if things change," Optimus said.
Ratchet squeezed Ironhide's aft bringing a smirk to his face. "Let us know when you get the younglings back. Slap some sense into Springer and Drift. Tell them his old Ada can't take it anymore."
Ironhide grinned. "Done deal." They watched Ratchet leave the bridge, then turned back to the problem at servo.
-0-On the trail
They slogged forward, the jungle clinging to them and their unique physiques. Wet slippery ground didn't help much either. By the time they had gone three miles it was time to stop. Sandstorm who was burned the most was needful of an energon pick me up. No one had any and their equipment was confiscated. Sitting to allow him to rest, they listened to the forest. It had been noisy along the trail, then it stopped. Hercy who was looking around considered the possibilities. Something could be coming that had stilled the animals and bird-like creatures around them or not. He hoped for the latter even if he considered the former the most likely possibility. Watching carefully, he saw something dark flash nearby. It paused, then continued onward until gone. He turned to the others and nodded. :We move now:
Helping Sandstorm to his peds, they plodded onward facing seven more miles of jungle even as overhead Springer watched for trouble. That the canopy was so thick he couldn't see them on the forest floor wasn't much of a help all around. It would be a long tense slog to the hilltop rocks and perhaps but not necessarily sanctuary.
-0-On the ground at Autobot City
Ratchet walked from the bridge at the Fortress and headed outside. Beyond the courtyard the city was milling with new arrivals. Ships landed handled by the Supremes. Even the Dinobots were assisting. That is, all of them were but Slag. He stood to one side glaring. Apparently, he and Grimlock had a difference of opinion and had slagged it out. If anyone alive knew how to carry a grudge, it was Slag.
Crossing the field, he spotted Prowl in a huddle with security and mechs. Crossing against lines, he paused next to the elegant winger. Prowl was discussing a fine point of incarceration with Fenix and two other high castes that Ratchet had come to understand were lawyers. A new high caste, one Ratchet had seen on the Glory was standing silently, a look of astonished aggravation on his face. A Day Watch officer and Coln-2 were discussing how Hadrian would be taken to jail. When it was all clear, the former governor of the city-state of Crystal City turned in the custody of the police and walked to the Courthouse and the jail that would be his home for a while. Fenix and his friends accompanied them.
Prowl turned to Ratchet who turned to him. "What's up, Doc?" he asked with a slight smirk.
"Why, Prowler ... good one," Ratchet said as they turned to walk back to the Fortress. "How is the infant?"
Prowl patted his carry hold. "Fine as frog's hair."
Ratchet grinned. "Good," he said as they disappeared into the crowds once more.
-0-TBC March 7, 2014 edited 3-13-14