The Diego Diaries: Confrontation (dd8 140)
=0=At the invisible dividing line
They gathered to watch Reset and his colleagues step out of the trees to walk to where they stood. Each side appraised the other, then Magnus turned to Prime. He glanced at Reset, then Optimus. "I want to introduce you, Reset, to the real Prime of Cybertron, Optimus of Iacon." He turned back to the colonists. "It was a practical joke by one of the soldiers that led you to believe otherwise." Magnus stepped back to stand slightly behind Optimus.
Reset stared at him, then the slightly bigger mech who was watching him appraisingly. "What is the meaning of this then?"
"One of my officers made a joke and apparently you took him at his word," Optimus said as he glanced at Ratchet.
Ratchet shot him his best smile which drew snickers from the group.
"Right now, I have something you need to know and you should listen to me closely. I am aware that you know about the entity that appeared here earlier, a light being who represents this planet and its species to any outsiders. It is a being that is part of the hive mentality of the dominant species, the flying insects and the fungus population. They work hand-in-hand to live here and have developed a tightly woven interdependence and regard for each other that allows them and all the other life here to thrive.
"Our presence here puts that at risk. I meditated at the Temple on Mars to meet this being and he came. Or rather, it came. We communed and the being showed me the entire history of this planet from its very beginnings, that fact that its a lab world for highly advanced beings who created the life here, who tend to It even now and that its peaceful but highly vulnerable to outsiders. We agreed that your presence here was counterproductive to the purpose of this world and that all of us would withdraw. I told them that anything that was negative that happened was from ignorance and not malice. The being accepted that and allowed me leeway to remove all of us from here."
"You assume that we'll go along," one of the elders replied.
"You have no choice in the matter. You, of all beings, should know the laws of our world better than others. You wrote them. You entered into the agreements for protectorate status for vulnerable and emerging worlds. All of this information came from your caste and class. We will uphold the laws, rules and regulations of our people and you will obey me," Prime said.
Reset stepped closer. "We've lived here for eons without incident. We don't intend to leave, Prime. I don't care what you order. We won't obey."
"There's a factor that you don't know about," Raptor said as he glanced at Perceptor. A high caste delivering the bad news was a good thing for him. Percy would drop the agreed upon bomb for all of them.
"What are you talking about?" Reset said as he turned toward Perceptor. "What does he mean?"
Perceptor who was a calm cool mech on a bad orn stared at Reset with his professorial face. Handsome, impeccable and smarter than nearly anyone around, Perceptor was rather unafraid of anyone most of the time and damned near impervious to fear when he knew he was right. "There is a condition that we discovered that is caused by the planet's inhabitants. We were mystified by your insistence about staying here on this, a rapidly diminishing stretch of land that you are at your current rate going to outgrow in less than a decade.
"We weren't clear that the planet produced it. We settled on the hive mind but I'm not even sure that's the source. It is a sensation of peacefulness and the unwillingness to leave here that is the cause of your bull headed behavior. We couldn't figure out why you wanted to stay when in essence you are overgrowing your bird cage. We believe that its a byproduct of the contentment of the local indigenous lifeforms. Their massive mental output has lulled you into a state of inertia that demands you stay when it isn't in your best interests to do so."
"We noticed it when the humans said they wanted to stay and start a colony with their families after only a few orns here, a highly odd statement overall," Ratchet said. "The other refugee group likes it here and feels at home but they want to leave. You, on the other hand, are adamant to stay here even if you have to fight. What is the common thread among all of the conditions? Longevity on world. The newer refugee group is only faintly infected, if that's the proper word, by the force that makes you want to stay here so adamantly. You've been here for eons and you're thoroughly infected.
"The humans being small and simpleminded are as adamant as you are to stay. Their tiny size and organic brain took on the symptoms swiftly, whereas we have to take longer. The control group is the newcomer refugees. Their process down the road to no return isn't as strong as you because they're newer. Savvy?" Ratchet asked with a smile.
Reset stared at him, then Perceptor. "So what. If this is true it doesn't change a thing."
"It does," Perceptor persisted. "It means that you're not in control of your faculties. It means that someone or something else controls you. You are mind controlled, Reset. At what point do you reach the end this accumulated process and what will you be like then? A zombie? A robotic automatron? We don't have information and data but my experience with altered states usually leads to a bad end."
Reset stared at Percy, then Prime. "We only have your word for any of this."
"You have your own experiences. Look at your colony. Its grown nearly to its limits. The patch of ground that you are allowed to live on is poor quality, never been colonized by the local species and is finite. They won't be giving you more space and you will run out of resources in the little pit you excavate to make energon. You are pressing against the sides of your cage and it will not get better. The entity told me that you will stay inside the caged space if you do not leave and it will not change. This is a delicate planet and the entity is charged with protecting it," Prime said.
"What if we come back in a few and find that the entire space is filled with you and yours pressed against the glass? You're in a terrarium without a future. What if they decide that you need to go and expel you. What then? They can pull ships from space. What makes you think that they can't put you back there?" Raptor said.
Reset stared at them, then turned on his heel. With his mechs in tow, he walked toward the trees nearby to disappear into it. The guards with them melted back in as well.
Prime considered them, then glanced at Magnus. "Show me the others."
They followed Magnus and Sunstreaker as they led the way through the carefully traversed path to the rise where a group of individuals waited. Those there called to others who began to come out of their shelters to join the group. Soon all of them were gathered.
Prime paused before them, a group of individuals who were watching with hopeful faces. "I am Optimus Prime. I came here to bring you home. My officers have told me that you are packed and ready to go."
A tall elder nodded, then bowed his helm. Others who were in front saw him do it, then did it, too. "We're ready, Lord Optimus. We've been stuck here for eons. What would you have us do?"
Optimus reached out to touch the dome but found his servo going through it. He felt rather than heard someone speak to him through the Matrix. It was the entity and someone else, someone familiar. Optimus listened, then stepped closer. He stood half in one side and half in the other. "I can hold the dome open. Gather your things and families in an orderly manner. My mechs will help you to ships that we brought to take you away. Take whatever you wish. We understand the meaning of valuables to those who have had their lives upended. Are there any dead you wish to bring?"
The big mech shook his helm. "No, sir. We're packed and ready to go," he said with emotion.
"Very well," Optimus said. "Please begin." He glanced at Jack. "General, please have the appropriate ships and handlers help us here."
There was a flurry of activity as the refugees hurried to gather things. Autobots were able to enter the compound because of Prime to assist as baggage, pets, children, elders, crafts, machines, valuables of all and sundry types were carried past Optimus with the refugees. They were almost weak with gratitude as they passed him, some bowing, most of them touching him as they walked onward toward a cargo ship which would take half of them. Another waited in space to carry the rest. They would leave when everyone was on board to go to Mars and a waiting greeting party there.
=0=Ops Center, Mars
Prowl commed off. Optimus had managed to secure the freedom and soon transport of 200 refugees and their baggage. He was relieved that the conversation with the strange entity had borne fruit. Now they had 900+ to go before they could close the book on Meadow Lands and marker buoy it to protect its unique and strangely advanced purity.
He glanced around the room, noting the efficiency of everyone there, then walked to Prime's office to take three conference calls for him. Even in the midst of slag, life went onward.
=0=On ships finally moving off
They sat on the floor or on seating along the walls of the ship. Cargo filled the vessels in their below decks compartments, the accumulated treasure of a long hard lifetime. Now they were going to a place that from videos looked like heaven. It would be a strange contrast to the beautiful world they left with all its many restrictions to a desiccated yet beautiful desert planet with unlimited freedoms.
One could wrench one's helm off from the paradigm change before them.
Children watched out the windows, elders sat wearily and hopefully while the adult femmes and mechs discussed among themselves how they would stay together on this new world, this mostly related group of individuals. They wouldn't have to worry. The Bureau of Refugees already had it in servo.
It wasn't their first rodeo, Our Bureau of Refugees.
=0=At the site
They walked around the space noting the neatness of the small settlement. All of the buildings were handmade and solid but simple and uncomplicated. They were stripped of their contents and the place had a sad vibe, as if all the color was drained out of everything, its life and vitality.
It was.
Prime walked to the dome, then pierced it with his body. The soldiers with him came back through, then he stepped back himself. As he did, the dome began to vibrate. Everyone stepped back, retreating defensively at the sight.
Lights played over it, reflections of sunlight that showed the spectrum of a prism, hundreds of prisms. Then the dome faded from view. Even as it did the buildings in the encampment vibrated, then burst into flecks of light. They sprayed upward to disappear. Then all was silent.
In the space where a small settlement had stood for 200 Earth years there was nothing but gravel and the odd plant. The planet or entity had returned the space back to itself. As it did a sense of well being settled over everyone there. It was a good warm feeling of happiness.
"I think that the hive mind is happy," Raptor said as he turned toward Prime. "Its going to be good to know that the colony won't be sitting there to attract any attention from anyone else when we leave."
Prime nodded. "I agree. Now the hard part is getting Reset and his people to do the same."
=0=TBC 4-16-2021