The Diego Diaries: Moving Forward (dd8 138)
=0=What to do, what to do, what to do …
"And that's basically how it stands now," Raptor finished.
Prime and a pensive Prowl who was listening as well considered the sit-rep as it stood. "What do you believe that we need to do to get their permission to make moves to leave? Is there any further manner in which we can speak together?" Prime asked.
Onyx who was sitting next to Raptor shrugged. "I can access part of their consciousness through my own efforts combined with my son and friend. What this requires is something stronger and more powerful than the three of us. I do believe you can access them through the Matrix. They have such a strong mentality as a hive mind that getting contact with their leader ... the figure we met might be that or just a construct to speak to others ... it might take more. I also believe that the construct is old and very powerful. Its wise and thoughtful. I detect nothing negative about it."
Prime nodded. "Very well," he said. "I will go to the Temple and consult there. If I get guidance about this then I will contact you. I am not clear on the path forward but it would be dangerous to the leadership of the empire to have all of us stuck somewhere without a plan to leave."
"Very well," Raptor replied. "I do believe its going to be a fight to remove Reset. I don't think we have be surprised at that."
"No," Prime said. "I will contact you shortly, hopefully with good news."
The contact ended, then Prime rose. It was early evening on Mars after a long day traipsing over Cybertron and some of the local group. He walked to the door of the Ops Center to go to the Temple and see what could be had for wisdom there.
Prowl watched him go, then rose to gather his gear. Home was calling and he was going there. What the Powers would tell Optimus would be hashed out between them. It would have to be a very, very good reason for him to leave the safety of the Empire for this world.
=0=Darkness in the wilderness
It was night time and the area was inky dark. Overhead, a wash of stars proclaimed the galaxy that all of them shared, the Great Galaxy as the Cybertronians called it and the Milky Way as the humans asserted. It was ablaze with light, some of it far away and all of it was new to everyone in the camp.
The humans sat around their fire pit chatting quietly. It was getting late so they were gathering up to go to sleep in their tents nearby. The mechs around them were either coming in for food from guard duty or heading out. It was a stand off with the colonials and the tension was clearly felt.
Unseen by all of them were small lights that were pulsing out of the normal optical range that the humans and Cybertronians possessed. They were buzzing here and there doing this and that as they always had. They were part of the intricate web of life on world, the unseen portion that helped those who lived here have such a peaceful and lovely life.
Some of the plants took their sustenance from the ground. Some of them including the butterflies took it from the plants. Some of the birds and fish ate small insects, plankton-like entities or fruit from trees. The small hummingbird-like fliers who lived in this neck of the woods took nectar from the flowers. Birds that did more and required more lived on the equator almost as if assigned to that region. There were no apex predators here and the night sounds were soft and peaceful.
The invisible beings were small orbs of light that floated in the air all over the planet. They were sustenance for the entities here, plant, insect and bird that didn't eat food per se. They were here to feed those that only partook of energy. Some drew it from the sun and others from the floating orbs. It was almost a choice by every species who lived here to eat directly from the planet in the 'normal' manner or draw their food from these beings.
They were feeding a lot of species and among them were the humans and Cybertronians who were stuck here. They, of course, didn't know that. The energy beings were simple formats and didn't communicate their presence. They were acquired by breathing them in or being absorbed by those with energetic capabilities like solar absorption. They, of course, bred well being in whoever ingested them. The longer you lived here the more you wanted to live here. It was part of the experiment started eons before this day by an ancient species called The Builders.
They were a group of highly developed energy beings who traveled the universe seeding life into planets. They started with tidal pools and different combinations of amino acids. Because they were immortal to a fault, they could make projects that lasted two or three billion years, coming back to look from time to time, adjust, record, then leave again. They were among the oldest beings in the universe and many a beautiful world was created this way.
If they humans knew they were a project from this group in the faint stirring of the beginning of the solar system there would be chaos in the streets. Given that a tweak here and there caused life to develop on its own, it was only a matter of the right chemicals in the right amounts to make life on Earth appear the way it did. It could have gone any number of other ways, the appearance and abilities of humans and everyone else.
But that would be for another story.
The orbs floated unseen all around them like snowflakes in a winter landscape falling softly and soundlessly. Everyone there breathed or absorbed them through their armor and the tranquility and well being such tiny bursts of energy could give went almost unnoticed by those newly here. They hadn't been here long enough to want to notice, then need it without knowing what it was they wanted. The longer you stayed, the more it became part of you and the more it became part of you the more you were content to remain.
The newcomers, the 200 individuals who had arrived 200 years before hadn't been here long enough to feel the same way as the colonists at Meadow Lands who had been here for eons.
The night would continue onward and the orbs would phase in and out, giving their tiny bursts of energy and contentment to everyone. The morning would come slowly.
=0=At the Temple of Primus, Mars
He stood before the Allspark waiting for inspiration. He'd mused on the problem on the way to the Temple as he did when he had to have answers to questions. Now he waited knowing It would take Its own time answering. What It would answer would determine what happened next. It would take a while.
=0=Home
He sat on his chair after tucking in everyone including a cow, dog and cat. It was hard(er) work getting things organized for the next orn by himself. Everyone was in school now and he was the only slagger here to do the heavy lifting.
When everyone went home.
Everyone had stepped up given he was part of the mission command team and on call orn and night. Ratchet was gone so the elders stepped up. Even the twins were on the mission, thus Bluestreak was pulled from Charon Base to take care of the kids. The short trip to the refugee site had turned into a marathon.
"Atar?"
Ironhide muted the news, then glanced down the hallway. "Why are you up, infant? School is tomorrow."
Praxus walked to his old dad, then climbed up into his lap. Cuddling down, he grinned. "I will keep you company."
Ironhide grinned, then patted his son. "A little bit."
Praxus grinned. "Did you read my note from the school?"
"I didn't," Ironhide said as he began to check his messages internally. There were a few. He found the one from the school, opened it, then read it with a slight frown. "What do you think about the note, Praxus?"
The little mech glanced upward at his old dad. "I don't know what it says."
"Good," Ironhide said. "Nothing to worry about." / … I'll take care of that for both of us …/
=0=Later that night when morning was approaching on the refugee world
Ratchet sat in front of the screen with a frown. "What do you expect me to do about that here, slagger? This is 'put on your big boy panties and take care of it' time."
"I'm not going to," Ironhide said. "I have spoken. End of problem. End of decisions. End of the story."
Ratchet smirked. "Why, Ironhide … you gave me a buzz there."
Ironhide preened slightly. "I did didn't I."
"Did you see the testing yet?" Ratchet asked.
"Not yet. You have to be there for that. Right now, I don't see Praxus moving up to the Pioneer School. He's too little. He needs more time to grow and slag."
"I don't disagree," Ratchet said. "He's a very sweet and tender little mech. But if he needs more than he's getting, then we have to do something about it."
"Frag that. Get home and it'll be two arm wrestles out of three," Ironhide said. "Prime went to the Temple. I don't know what he's found out or if he's still there but I don't know about him going and maybe getting stuck, too."
"It'll depend on what he finds out," Ratchet replied.
=0=At the Temple
The room shifted and he was in a paradise, one with flowers and strange mushrooms for miles in every direction. It was as peaceful and beautiful as any place he'd ever been. He'd been everywhere. There were butterflies hovering and flying from here to there along with birds that looked like hummingbirds from Earth. It was warm, probably about midday and there was no one else around.
"Hello," he said to a muffled tone.
No one answered him back.
=0=Early morning in paradise
Breakfast was pretty easy, then done. The routine was getting organized and everyone there was doing their part in a relaxed manner. Today would be another day with little to do for most of them. Onyx had recommended no one wander off or explore. Stick to the camp, he suggested given the numerous unknowns around them. They could be on the radar of those in charge here.
"I wonder what's happening back home?" Olivia asked as she helped clean up the camp.
"Nervous expectation is my hope," Clarice said.
"My father is probably having a controlled panic attack. Say what you will about him and many do, my sister and I are his Achilles heel," Rick said as he helped.
"Well, that's a good thing," Jessie said with a grin. "It means he can still be reached."
Rick smirked slightly. "Put that in writing for me, will ya?"
Ratchet ambled past heading for the science shuttle in the meadow beyond. Perceptor followed him.
"I don't know why I don't feel afraid," Jessie said as the others nodded. "It must be the bots."
Everyone agreed.
=0=Temple earlier, on Mars
He glanced around, then saw it, a tall butterfly shaped being made of light and color. He was tall and slim, seemingly a 'he', though that could be his own inference. Prime stared at it, noting the face had no features but light streaming from it. He bowed slightly. "I am Optimus Prime. Some of my people are on your world. I wish to speak to you about this matter and resolving it peacefully."
The being stared at him, then stepped forward. It began to uncurl a long antenna.
=0=TBC 4-14-2021