The Diego Diaries: Moving (dd7 1)

=0=The next morning, mid morning

They stood on the command deck of Tennyson watching as a huge bridge burst into sight. They were holding in dark space some long distance from the star, Arcturus. Its light was dim this far out not only because of distance but because of the debris that floated through this area unobstructed.

The bridge swirled with energy as Perceptor and Wheeljack watched it, bending over a console and its massive array of monitors and computers. They were transporting the third Trigger, the one that was built to orbit Saturn and transport the War World stations that were being built in the off world major frames shipyard there.

It was very quiet among the senior Autobots who were watching the situation around the command desk and the command chair that Optimus Prime occupied. Also with Wheeljack and Perceptor were several titans in pretender formats including Striker, a science titan who was brilliant about space jumping and other oddball elements of physics that were so important to the success of this mission.

"What's the sit-rep?" Venture said as he walked onto the deck having jumped from Trigger 1 in orbit around Mars to this location. Miler was running the show on Trigger 1 with the two Teletraans linked together, Teletraan 1 on Cybertron and Teletraan 2 on Mars. Venture was here to watch and support his nervous son.

"We have a Trigger in transport mode, Trigger 3," Ratchet said as he stood behind Ironhide. That big mech and half his family were sitting around the table while Optimus watched pensively from the captain's chair. "The two Triggers back home are going to be the long distance formatting devices, putting the fields up around each gas giant, then stabilizing them for transport through their fields to this one, this third Trigger who will help receive them for placement as well as augment the containment field."

"Miler was telling me about stabilizing tech and how this is a bit different than that used for Caminus," Venture said as he stopped to stand behind his tense son who was sitting next to an equally tense Hard Drive.

"Yes," Ratchet explained. "The transport will require two Triggers generating a unified transportational field. The third Trigger will receive the planets, strengthening the field's hold and movement to keep it stable. It will also in tandem with the Autobot City Space Bridge maintain the unified field boosters and keep the planet inside the box which will protect it all the way to its new spot."

"Sounds like a scary prospect, Ratchet," Venture said as he shook his helm. "I for one find this sort of thing scary and dangerous."

"You and me both," Ratchet said as they turned to the console down the way to listen to the conversation.

:Miler-Navigator to Wheeljack. We have a locked unified field and transport is under way for Trigger 3: Miler's voice said from the communications speakers around the bridge.

"Understood, Milie. Tell me when the Trigger reaches the engagement point for the main package, then release it," Wheeljack said.

The tension was great, then the Trigger emerged flying backward to halt some distance away from the bridge funnel to power up and get ready to receive the planet now being captured on the other side of time. The unified field created around it to prevent any problems from happening disappeared right away.

Outside in the vast area of the gas giant's soon-to-be new home several battleships which would serve as science platforms were scattered. The whirling energy of the bridge lit up the area more than it would be otherwise and soon the light became brighter. It was at that moment that a beam from Trigger 3 flew out to link up with the vortex.

"I thought when they overlapped they'd mess with dimensions," Turbine said. "Its been a while since I had to deal with Triggers but isn't that dangerous?"

Perceptor glanced at Turbine. "We refined the method. The signatures for the three beams are kept at a nano-micron's distance apart on the light spectrum. If they were operating at the same frequency they would explode and take out everything for eons around. These are operating at slightly out of skew frequencies, therefore its not going to happen."

"That's good to know," Turbine said with a slight grin. "I hate physics."

"Your thing is *metaphysics*, not the math and slide rule kind," Blackjack said. "I hate paradoxical stuff myself. Living in the Ravages with all the energy floes was enough for me."

For a moment nothing happened, then the 'package' began to emerge from the energy torrent. The beam from Trigger 3 touched it, then it shuddered a moment from the contact. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the glowing gas giant stabilized enough to be drawn out with Trigger 3 as the combined vortex from the other two followed it slowly. The object inside was held fast at a vertex point of three space bridges. It glittered in the darkness of space, a massive gas giant planet and then began to move slowly toward its release space. It was terrifying to watch.

Prime did with anxiety that he had buried pretty deep. This would be the process that would move their planet to this place and set it into an orbit with its moons in the far distance, in the 'Goldilocks' orbital path around Arcturus. Primus was pleased that they were at the point where they could rescue Him as He roamed 900 light years away. They would have what help He could give them as they struggled to save Him from danger.

Right now, this was some scary shit.

The third Trigger directed the captured planet with the two other bridges' support toward a place halfway between where the bridge apertures had begun and the science group that was waiting with Prime to do long term monitoring of the placements when they were finally made. It moved faster than those watching imagined, secured inside a barely visible energy field that was a giant square in which it was enclosed. At intervals all around it were small drone shuttles which carried the unified field tech that held the planet captive. It flew onward, then began to slow. The conversation between this ship, Tennyson, Striker and the Triggers at Mars now included the familiar voices of Auntie.

:Telemetry is holding: Auntie aka Teletraan 1 said over the speakers along with incomprehensible science chat. The computers talked to each other, the Triggers, the Triggers' teams, Miler Navigator, Wheeljack-Pilot, Perceptor, Striker and their smart kids doing this and that part of the job. It was incredibly technical and way over the head of everyone listening.

Everyone listening just wanted it to be over.

The planet slowed to a stop, then science chat, mostly math and physics ensued.

Auntie called on Wheeljack and Miler. :Navigator and Pilot, we are at optimal. Seek sequence for release at your command:

Wheeljack and Perceptor stared at the data, chatted together off line, then nodded to each other. Wheeljack spoke to Auntie. "Teletraan 1 and 2, this is Wheeljack-Pilot. We're going to automated now. You're given the go. Go or abort at will, Teletraan-Command."

This was the moment of truth. This was the moment that the two sentient computer systems, one the 'mother' and the other the 'daughter' put their computing power together and made the decision to withdraw support and the specialist generators which were placed in drone shuttles that were spaced around the planet to generate the field itself.

It was deeply tense, then Miler spoke. "Teletraan-Command, you are go. Miler-Navigator is releasing you to control. Respond."

:Understood. This is Teletraan-Command. We are initiating full control toward the countdown to release. Please stand by:

It was swampy it was so tense as the group gathered on Tennyson's command deck watched the monitors all around them. Teletraan had control now and the speed the data was flying was for them, not the tense scientists and soldiers watching.

After a moment, Auntie was back. :Miler-Navigator, this is Teletraan-Command. We have assumed control and will be releasing the package. All systems point to go for an orbital insertion as planned. We will be releasing the package in three … two … one. The package is released. Standby for scans:

The barely seen energy field that surrounded the planet ended all at once and the drone shuttles that supplied it moved swiftly back to standby if something went wrong and they were needed again.

The gas giant shuddered and some of its energy seemed to surge upward off its cloud and storm ridden surface. Then it oozed back, sucked into the continual storms that raged on its surface. As it did it began to move along, heading into the distance alone.

"What's the word on insertion, 'Jack?" Ratchet asked.

Wheeljack glanced at him. "We'll have that information in shortly. Given that its now in the grip of the gravity well of the star, its going to show us that its on track to stay there within the next three joors. If it deviates out at any time in the next three joors, it won't be able to hold orbital integrity. Our planning suggests that it will."

"What about the surface surge when it was released, Wheeljack? How much damage did that cause to the planet? We cannot have things like that happening with Cybertron," Prime asked as he turned the command seat around to talk to the others.

"That was a condition asserted by the interior of the planet and the composition of the clouded surface. Its a different composition from a metallic and organic planet like Cybertron, thus the strange surge. Letting it go even as gently as we did created a wave action in the center of the planet which is not a solid space like the core of Cybertron where Primus lives. Its like a bell. It was rung and will continue to ring for a couple of decaorns, just like Caminus did.

"Cybertron is more stable and less ethereal than a gas planet, though there are many things similar that we have to consider. We won't release the unified field as fast until we're sure that Arcturus has Cybertron in its gravitational grip and what little effect the core has is settled. What our ace in the hole that makes Cybertron different is we're going to have the cooperation and assistance of Primus Himself." Wheeljack hesitated. "We will, right?"

Prime nodded. "He is aware and very happy to find Himself the possibility of a stable and safe home star. I will contact Him again before we move Cybertron. I would think He would be amenable to speaking again but I cannot guarantee that this will happen. It depends on a lot of things and He seems confident from the last time that this will be fine."

"Good," Wheeljack said. "We're not going to do anything that'll endanger anyone," he said, then leaned in to the console. "Incoming. A comet is heading toward it, five good sized pieces of it. Wheeljack to Spartan."

:Spartan here: a voice came over the intercom from one of the science ships shadowing the planet.

"Can you get the comet on camera?" 'Jack asked.

:We have it. I'll transmit the images to you now: the Spartan captain said.

The huge forward view port flared into life and showed a rather dazzling sight. A huge colorful planet was moving away in the images and behind it catching up swiftly was a streaming comet passing through. Five huge chunks of it had made their way along in the flow of the huge object, pulled in by it and were on a collision course for the gas giant. It was tense once again on the deck of every ship there as they waited for the collision. Given that the planet had just been released and was experiencing interior wave action, it was anyone's guess what a drubbing this powerful would do to it.

They sped along, travelers from perhaps the beginning of the universe, 12 to 14 billion years ago. They were going to impact unless they were bumped astray. No one in the group was ready to do that. This would be a moment of truth and a chance for more data on the logistics of moving worlds.

Time seemed to drag by, crawling along as the fragments closed the distance. Then the first one dove in, pulled even swifter by the planet's gravity well. It struck hard, blowing up in the atmospheric cloud cover as it did. A blast of black showing impact of it was followed in succession by four more, each of them striking the planet in a nearly straight line interval.

Black scorch marks showed where they'd exploded like bombs, leaving the only indication that they ever existed in the fury of the upper atmospheric storms that were the most common feature of planets such as this. The storms rolled on stretching the entry burns, dragging them along as they roiled.

Wheeljack and Perceptor in off line conversation with their teams monitored the data that Teletraan-Command gathered from everyone. Then Auntie spoke. :The object absorbed five direct hits of several magnitudes. Preliminary data suggests that there was a 3% increase in core activity. Waves of internal motion are holding within the predicted range of safety, plus or minus 1.3349% of magnitude:

"What's your prediction for success, Auntie? I'm seeking a prediction and understand that it's just that," Wheeljack asked as Perceptor glanced at him with a slight frown. "We could use a bench mark, Percy," he said.

It was silent, then Teletraan-Command was back. :There is no change in the predictions, Wheeljack-Pilot. The margin of error is met. Given the current data from the insertion and impacts, we see no change in the ultimate projections. The insertion is good and the margin for failure is still within the safe ranges predicted:

Wheeljack relaxed. "This planet is good. In three joors we'll know if the barycenter necessary for a good stable orbit has been achieved."

It was sickening how much relief everyone felt. They would now have to feel it three more times.

And that was not counting Cybertron and her moons.

=0=TBC 5-25-19 edited 5-26-19 edited 6-9-19

NOTES:

barycenter: (berry-center) In space, two or more objects orbiting each other also have a center of mass. It is the point around which the objects orbit. This point is the barycenter of the objects. The barycenter is usually closest to the object with the most mass. (The sun in this case) Its when it achieves balance. Even a sun and its planets have a point where they orbit each other. :D

NOTES!

^^^leoness chapter 668 . May 24

Ratchet and Prowl are the most adorable besties (or frenemies depending on the competition) ever.

ME: I agree. They're such opposites and in canon, you can make them do a lot of good stuff. I would LOVE to have a bestie like either of them. :D HUGS!

^^^Sunstreaker's Girl chapter 665 . May 21

Wow, Ratchet and crew finally got to go out without having a problem. That's got to be a first. I'm glad. They deserve to go out and have fun for once.

ME: It was overdue. I think Ratchet is a bad luck charm for his set. LOL! HUGS!

^^^Guest chapter 665 . May 20

Why does Delphi et co. have Prima? Miler was having the Prime kids over, why not his own? Or did you mean to write Scout?
Does Autobot City have AA? The way the leadership is drinking they are going to need one:)

ME: WHOOPS! I was supposed to be Scout. I'll fix it. :D I think they need AA. :D Given the amount of macho among them I don't think Cliffie will be the only drunk there, reformed or otherwise. HUGS!

^^^Sunstreaker's Girl chapter 664 . May 20

I'm glad Iacon is still undefeated. Optimus and gang are just that good. I laugh at Ratchet's antics and his outfits for each basketball game.

ME: He reminds me of fans of Green Bay who paint themselves and go half naked to games that can get down below zero. :D I love making their culture up for them. :D HUGS!

^^^Misty Legionnaire chapter 662 . May 18 I could so imagine someone with a sense of humor giving Ratchet an honorary position in the Black Watch after this.

Thanks for the much needed humor.

ME: You're welcome. I love the Black Watch. I saw two giant tattoos when I was a kid with them and it was great. My cousin Hector Heath played and taught bagpipes. I think it might be the least the Watch could do. LOL! HUGS!

^^^Sunstreaker's Girl chapter 662 . May 17

I love Ratchet's outfits for these games!
Poor Ratchet... He has a concussion and Prowl still punches him. More than once, too. He's going to need to be on bed rest if he isn't careful! Lol

ME: I think sports would be contact on and off the field. :D Prowl and Ratchet are hopeless. HUGS!