The Diego Diaries: Oh-Oh (647)
-0-Out there
:Oh-oh: Drift said as the aliens began to close the circle around them. He looked at Springer who was turning slowly watching as the ring of guns began to tighten up around them. He looked at Hercy. :Better say something, slagger:
Hercy looked at the leader, the huge Hu-An who was glowering at them as he/she powered up his/her gun. :Stop. We know who you are. We know what the Decepticons did. We aren't them. We rescued three hundred of your people and they live in peace at our colony:
The big alien raised his/her gun and pointed it at Hercy's helm. Drift turned. :Do you know Larc?:
The big alien stared at Drift, then lowered his/her gun a bit. :Talk:
:We're not Decepticons. The faction that harmed your systems are called the Decepticons. They were holding a number of aliens in camps to use for slave labor along with our own people. When we rescued them, we rescued 300 of your people. Larc leads them. They live in a huge habitat on our colony world on the other side of this galactic arm. We came here by bridge to get more of our people. Our Prime wouldn't allow your system to be harmed but our enemy, Megatron would and did: Drift said. He paused waiting.
It seemed to stretch into infinity, the silence. Then the big alien lowered his gun. :Take us to Larc and you may live:
Hercy nodded. :We have to take our wounded to the migration spot. We know our Prime is hunting for us and a bunch of our missing people taken by Decepticons. We can help each other:
:You need to prove what you say or I will personally kill you: the big alien said. :You will go on separate ships. That one: She/he nodded to Sandstorm :And you: he/she said nodding at Lon and Smokey. :You will travel on that ship. The rest of you will divide up and go on these two:
:I would take it personally if anything happens to our wounded and these two younglings: Springer said. :They are our young:
The alien looked at him for a moment with cold eyes. :Then you better be telling the truth. If you aren't you will have the task of watching them die:
Springer glanced at the two solemn youngsters. :Do what you are told. Don't act up. We will find Prime and it will all be settled:
They nodded, then with direction picked up Sandstorm to go to a nearby ship. All three entered as the hatch began to close. Springer and Drift walked to one ship, Hercy and Kup to the other. When all were aboard they lifted off and were gone without a trace.
-0-Devcon
They flew forward following the unmistakable signature of an alien engine discharge. It began to grow stronger as they approached the influence of a small sun with a huge planet circling it. It was at the mid range of the Goldilocks region where vegetation and other life was possible. It was a very valuable planet overall, one with the prospect for habitation and life.
As they approached, radio signals of unknown ships reached them having leaked from the vessels into space. They slowed, then settled on a planetoid on the outer edge of the ships estimated sensor range. Devcon stepped out, then looked at the Seekers and the Autobots on the shuttle. :Stay here. I'm equipped to go to places and look around. If you hear me call come in guns blazing. When I have scouted this out I will come back and we can decide what to do:
The Seekers and Autobots nodded as they were more than aware of Devcon's ability to do what he said. He was a ferocious ruthless bounty hunter, someone who trailed a subject until he settled accounts one way or another. All of his targets were the enemy of Prime and the Autobot Cause. That he was tracking the captors of his grandson in all likelihood was impetus to stay out of the way. All of them were professionals. All of them knew how to play the game.
Dev turned, then transformed into his flight mode, a sleek stiletto of a ship format that was fast, low profile and deadly. He stood out and disappeared almost immediately. The group with him settled in to wait.
-0-Prime
They slipped through the darkness heading along a trail that was wide and available. It had been easy to do. Trannis wasn't trying to hide his trail. But he was traveling fast. The Seekers that flew ahead were linked, their data flowing into the Salton Sea and onward to Devcon's shuttle. When they located the base of operations of Trannis only then could they decide on the plan. Prime had enough fire power in all likelihood to put Trannis down. But knowing Trannis, he wouldn't go alone.
It was going to be a difficult situation to unwind.
-0-On the way back
:Do you suppose they will believe us?: Lon asked as he sat next to Sandstorm in the hold of a Hu-An ship. Sandstorm was in self imposed medical semi-stasis allowing his systems to work on his hurts. All he could do this way was maintain until he got back to Autobot City. It had to be soon.
:I hope so. We do know them and Larc. What we need to do now is find Larc and get her to tell them that we're not the enemy: Smokey said.
:I hope so: Lon said.
They sat together silently listening to the thrum of the engines as the shuttles flew together back the way they had come.
-0-On a jungle world
Devcon had jammed his signal so the sensors of the alien ships he had found in orbit around a world that was covered in dense vegetation wouldn't detect him. There were small oceans but most of the planet was intensely green, hot and humid. The jungles that filled the landmasses looked impassable. He flew over them at a very low altitude scanning far and wide. For a while he didn't register anything.
Then he did.
-0-On a bridge
"What do you think, Po?" a big alien asked.
"I don't know. They know of Larc. Or at least they say they do. And they know we live in habitats on worlds where we settle. If there is a habitat, then there are Hu An. I don't like metallics. I would rather kill them than argue." The big female turned to look at the maps displayed on the overhead monitors of their ship. "We are heading back to the crush ahead. The trail is all over the scale. There is more than one species out here. I don't like it." She turned to her second. "Bring the one who asked to talk to us. The little one. I wish to speak to him again."
The smaller figure nodded, then turned to hurry off. That individual was a male. Even though they had never encountered humans before they shared much in common. There was sexual dimorphism among the humans though in opposition to the Hu An. Among their kind, males were smaller and lighter than females. Males were not the dominant gender if there was one among the Hu An. All occupations and opportunities were open to both genders but some things were part and parcel of one or the other.
Wars and defense were fought by the bigger more aggressive females. If there were fights to be made, they stepped up. Families were raised equally but the oldest female in the family was the matriarch. Education, work and culture were the province of all but the leadership of their species was female. A Council of Elders made cultural decisions and settled disputes among families and clans. All had a vote in the leadership of their species and all could work to lead.
Gender roles and bias, a common thing among humans was unknown among their kind. They were egalitarian and their society a meritocracy. They were religious but not dogmatic, culturally sophisticated but capable of raucous humor. Sports were a big deal and so was taking care of your family. A bond was for life. Children were the province of all adults in a clan and the focal point of their cultural and emotional well being. Elders were venerated, parents cared for and respected. Rebels abounded. Contrarians were tolerated. All in all, they were tough, smart, dangerous to fools and highly cultured.
Their leader, a big female named Harper turned to watch as Hercy came in ducking his helm as he paused before the captain. "Sit, Metallic. I wish to know things."
Hercy sat down carefully, his optics never leaving the big female. "I'm Hercy. Who are you?"
"I am called Harper." She looked at him, then leaned against the console of the conn. "Tell me about Larc."
"I see her around the city. I am thinking Larc is a female," Hercy posed.
Harper nodded. "Continue."
"She led 300 or so of her people in a camp where she was being held by Megatron's forces. We hit that camp to rescue everyone. She and her people were there so we took them with us. They live in our colony and have a habitat like their home. I don't know her personally but I see her around the city from time to time. I hear they had a youngling born recently. A little male."
Harper considered this. "Tell me about your colony."
"We are regrouping around our Prime, our legal leader. We're the Autobots and we're enemies of Megatron who commands the Decepticons. We're sworn enemies though thousands of his people are defecting to us. We live in a huge city together in peace. We number close to four million there. Its there that the habitat where your people is located. Larc is part of the committee that helps Prime run the colony. She represents the interests of her people."
Harper considered that. "How do I talk to this Prime? How do I talk to Larc?"
"We can contact Prime. He's around here somewhere. He's chasing pirates who took a bunch of our people." Hercy watched the big alien doing the math. The she turned to him. "Make it so."
Hercy considered that, then looked at the sophisticated alien tech of the ship. "I can't figure out your stuff."
Harper turned to a big female working at the forward console. Speaking to her in their language, Hercy listened as she told the Hu An to open a general all call channel for his message. She looked at Hercy with a cool level gaze. "Tell your Prime I wish to speak with him. Make any wrong moves and you will die. So will your friends."
Hercy nodded, then looked at the female running the channel. "Hercy to Prime." It was silent. "Hercy to Prime. Come in."
The minutes dragged by, then a voice returned the call. "Prime here."
Hercy hid his relief well but he felt it.
-0-Elsewhere
"Prime, we have an incoming message." Blaster looked at Prime, then opened a channel. "You're on."
"Hercy to Prime. Come in," came over the speakers on the bridge.
"Prime here," he said in response.
A brief beat separated them as Hercy replied. "Optimus, this is Hercy. I'm on a Hu An ship with my party. They nearly killed us because of Megatron. We need to have them speak to Larc."
"Are you alright?" Prime asked nodding to Blaster who turned to the console before him sending a message to Autobot City through the ship's space bridge.
"I'm okay for now. Sandstorm needs a doc bad. We're burned. There are acid monsters around," Hercy replied.
"Send for Wheeljack, Perceptor and Ratchet, Ironhide. Have them come through the bridge with Larc." Prime turned back to the monitors which showed endless space and free floating debris. "Hercy, we are sending for Larc and Ratchet. Put the captain of your ship on the line."
-0-On the Hu An ship
"Prime wants to speak to you," Hercy said.
Harper looked at him, then turned to the communications console. "I am Harper, Captain of this vessel and commander of several more. Who are you?"
"I am Optimus Prime of Cybertron. I am leader of the Autobots and leader of a colony in a sector near here. Among those who are there are 300 Hu An that we rescued from Decepticon captivity a year or so ago. They were slave labor in a mining camp. Their leader is Larc."
Harper was silent a moment. "Let me speak to Larc."
Prime glanced at Ironhide who stood up to go to the bridge room. "We are sending for them through our space bridges. Please stand by."
Harper stood staring at the screen and its approaching chaotic density of ice, stone and dust. They were rapidly approaching the debris field where the metallics had been taken by the strange unknown aliens and their monsters. It was tensely quiet.
-0-On the Salton Sea
Ironhide watched as Ratchet, Wheeljack, Perceptor and Larc stepped off the platform and out of the tunnel's energy field. It powered down at they reached him. "What's going on?" Wheeljack asked.
"We found Springer and his group. Some of them are burned and Sandstorm is in mild medical stasis from his own hurts which are the worst of the bunch." He looked at Larc. "A Hu An ship or ships picked them up. They want to talk to you, Larc."
The big female looked at Ironhide with surprise, then nodded. They turned and hurried to the bridge together.
-0-On a jungle world
Devcon hovered over a dense canopy looking with his specialized abilities for anything that might indicate Cybertronian life forms. He had matched the evidence he had found on the planetoid to faint signatures of the same creatures here. He had found down below a lot of spaces where white pods were resting. It was eerie and strange. He flew onward scanning as he went while in the trees and down below watching him, cloaked by their reflective shielding, the Yautja were more than aware that he was there.
-0-TBC March 10, 2014 edited 3-14-14
Leoness: Getting towed away means getting drunk as a skunk. Its a west coast thing in America I think. :D East coast are ya? Sorry about the winter back there all of you. We sort of sent you ours. We'll try to not do that again. The snow machiners or sledders as they are known up here are still whining. Hugs to all that wrote. :D