The Diego Diaries: The Unveiling Part 1 (dd6 167)
-0-Earlier the same orn
They gathered at the landing strip that was south of The Fortress. It was a public airfield and had any number of exotic ships in permanent tie downs along the edges. In the middle, a big ship waited with the emblems of the Autobot City Unified School District and the Emblem of the Primes, Mars and Cybertron in decals on the sides. It was a refurbished tourist ship that was designed to take children and other students around in space with great views of things outside and casual seating. They wouldn't sit in rows. They would sit in semi circles facing the windows so they could see out and talk together. Since this was a learning vessel, the facilities were state-of-the-art for teachers and students alike.
Of the 400 or so students presently attending the Earth2 Martian Academy, those 42 kids who would be classified junior high and high school, were exiting the bus to go 'out there'. Walking off with them were three students from Youngling Day School, James Hoyt, Annabelle Lennox and Sandy Thomas. They were 'borrowed', here to help with the tour of the facility which was their destination, Trypticon Learning Center in orbit around Saturn. It was muy exciting for everyone as they made lines. Another bus arrived and students began to descend as well. They were from Youngling Intermediate School and included Rambler, Lumi, Fireball, Tru, Santee, and Quadrus.
The big kids towered over everyone, given that they ranged from 29-31 feet in height. They were beautiful and the human kids looked at them and the others with amazement and no small amount of curiosity. The kids who were here from Youngling Intermediate were a science class that would be going with the humans as part of the coursework on site as well as helping to integrate the newcomers into the life of the colony. Among the humans were about 20 mesmerized adults who were parents of the children and would act as chaperons.
Cut to the Auditorium at Earth2 the day before
She walked to the podium to present the information all would require leaving a safe center to enter space. She was Tapi, the Vice Superintendent in charge of Special Programs and Off World Education. She ran Trypticon and all of the educational stations on world, especially the TransWorld Highway set of stops. She had at her disposal any number of ships, networks of information and every expert, famous individual, elder with knowledge, interesting bot, department of the colony, and business at her beck and call. No one refused to help her give the children as many experiences as she could.
Sitting before her were the 100 or so affected parents and their 42 children. They were 'high school' students in the Earth2 school and would be undertaking the first off world trip ever. They had arrived by bridge to come here to live so this was a first for most of them. Getting on a ship and going somewhere in space was a dream come true. Behind them were about 2,000 civilians and all of the mercs who had come to listen. They sat in rows of seating, half filling the big auditorium which looked out onto the desiccated planet beyond through big windows. They weren't going but they were curious. Tapi smiled. "I didn't expect this many individuals," she said as the crowd laughed. "Welcome. I'm Tapi of Helex and I'm here to tell you about the trip to the Educational Space Station Trypticon currently in orbit of Saturn. This will be your first trip off world by ship and because it is, we will go over the safety protocols with you before I leave.
"Right now, I want to tell you about the station, its history and what we plan to do tomorrow. As you may or not know, we have regular visits by our students at Youngling Day as well as Intermediate Day to the station to work on science and mathematics of all manner and sort. This is a massive station, a metro-titan frame and thus, we have room for all manner of science possibilities. We have telescopes there that reach out thousands of light years into space. We have all manner of sites which are specific to a particular science. It is my understanding that you wish to grow crystals in vacuum. That's the experiment I am aware of thus far. When you arrive, you will be given a tour so that you and your teachers will know the full range of science that you can undertake there. We welcome your inquiries and will help you fulfill them on our station.
"Your genitors have asked to be chaperons and we welcome you. When we go, we will be making a pass of Venus, then sling-shotting past Earth to Mars. From there, we will go directly to Trypticon which is orbiting outside the rings of the planet Saturn. It will take about 30 minutes in a straight flight given the speed of our vessel but since we want you to see the beauty of Venus and your own home world, we will be taking just under an hour."
A ripple of amazement went through the crowd as they listened.
"Now, let me tell you about Trypticon. The Autobots were the dominant force on Cybertron and our technical know how was unparalleled. We created big frames for our protection and exploration. Many served as colony ships or transport for commerce. Some like Metroplex fulfilled both requirements and among all of us, no group of individuals is more honored and loved. We have many of them here, three districts worth and we are so delighted that they're here. The Decepticons had no titans and marginal understanding of the complexities, so they tried to create one.
"Trypticon was created, poorly at best, and became a very great war machine for them. Understand, all of these frames are as alive and self aware as you. However, some are created more equal than others and the Decepticons found not only in battle could they not control him, sometimes ending up with him devastating their side, but he that was energy inefficient. When energy was in short supply, Trypticon was tricked into stasis, a deep sleep that conserves him and protects him against falling apart. He was in orbit of Cybertron in stasis mode when we re-took the planet and there was a lot of conversation among Prime and his senior staff about what to do with him. We couldn't leave him there. Someone might re-activate him. He could become harmed. He was also in dire condition and in danger of degrading his orbit and crashing onto the planet. So we brought him here and put him in orbit of Saturn. We fixed all his hurts, all his shortcomings … he's in better health than at any time in his life, but he's too dangerous to awaken. He sleeps safely and well in stasis. Remember, the station we're going to is alive and self aware, though in a deep medical induced slumber.
"There will be no danger for you to go there. He's asleep and it takes a medic with the skills of Ambassador Ratchet to bring him back. The codes to do so only he has. So I hope you feel full confidence when we go there to utilize his facilities. For the first time in his life, he's doing good for others in a stellar physical condition and if we can ever re-awaken him, I hope it means something to him. For now, we'll go by ship to the station, tour it, go through the labs, the planetarium, the greenhouses, the crystal farms, see other experiments, watch a few of the resident scientists who live there doing their research, then return. We will return three joors or hours after school is out.
"You were asked to pack snacks and I hope you do. We have a set aside area for humans that have all the facilities you require and will allow you to unmask. We have asked the Intermediate School Science Master to come with his last class of students for the day to join us. They will number about 15 because we keep our theoretical science classes and labs small. They will be a cross section of our children and along with them will come Annabelle Lennox, Sandy Thomas and James Hoyt, three Earth children who attend Youngling Day School who have a lot of knowledge about the station. They will help you with your understandings. Now, I will undertake questions."
She would and some of them would be from the students and their parents.
-0-On a ship going to Trypticon
They walked in, the kids from Earth2 and then the kids from Intermediate. They took seats, each group sitting with their own species. The ship filled up, then the doors closed. Tapi was there and she gave the safety lecture that everyone had to hear. When she was finished, she sat down and the various teachers, both human and bot took their seats among the kids. It was startling how fast the ship lifted off and emerged into space. Everyone gasped as they leaned forward to stare at the brilliance outside. There were ships and devices that helped with ships coming and going. Nearby, the huge Triggers hung in stationary orbit along with the smaller Autobot City Bridge.
The Cybertronian kids watched the humans, all of whom were excited to see what was going on outside. They, themselves had been raised in this life so it was normal, what was out there. The ship banked, then moved away following two others. They continued forward heading to who knew where while they banked, then streaked off. They were gone from view so fast that Mars shrank down in the port view almost comically.
A mech stood, plugged into the wall comm system, then began to speak. "Welcome to the District transport ship, Caliber. I am B32. We're heading for a swing around Venus which will appear in half a breem to the port side. We're going to be making a circuit of the planet, then heading straight to Saturn and the educational platform, Trypticon. It takes three hours to make the traverse from the solar well to Mars and it takes about 15 minutes to reach Venus from here. It depends on the ship you take. Most of the ships making the journey from deep space to Mars don't have the power and speed that we have.
"Venus is seventy-four and a half million miles from us, which is a lot shorter distance from the usual traverse for refugees. Once we round Venus, we will blast past Earth and Mars for Saturn which is one billion, three hundred seventeen thousand miles away. When we get to Trypticon, we will dock and when the safety features release us, we will line up and walk inside. The tour guide for this venture will be Doctor Tapi who runs the installation among other places we take our students.
"For the duration of this journey, please stay seated until we get there unless there's a problem. If there is, raise your hand and we can help you directly," he said. "My name is B32, once again. I will be helping you understand what is outside the windows and managing your stay on the ship. All you have to remember is that safety is first. This ship is one of the most carefully constructed in the fleet and we are never more than seconds from help if anything goes wrong. This ship carries a space bridge. So sit back and relax. Earth is coming up in 35 seconds."
The kids turned to the window in time to see the blue marble of their home world and its small moon flash past.
-0-On the way to hilarity
Ratchet ambled along, then reached the door of the armory which was off the train tracks of the underground and was kept locked at all times. He keyed it, then entered. The long winding corridor led to Ironhide's office. Pausing in reception, Ratchet smiled at Holi. "Where's Ironhide, sweetie pie?"
"In his office. I have him slaving." Holi stood up and walked to Ironhide's door to peer inside. The big mech was looking at a catalog which had any number of children's toys. A computer was spinning madly nearby as he ran whatever a mech ran in an armory. "Hey."
He started, the catalog flying into the air. He frowned at Holi. "WHAT, LITTLE FEMME!? YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A SPARK ATTACK!"
"Ratchet's out here. Are you finished with the projections?" Holi asked.
"I'm waiting for it," Ironhide said as he glanced at the computer. "I routed it to your station. Slave driver."
"Wimp." Holi grinned. "Go if he wants you to. As long as it reaches me, we're good to go. Literally."
Ironhide grinned at her, then rose. "Of course we are," he said with a jaunty tone. Walking past her, he paused in front of Ratchet. "What's up, Doc?" he asked with a grin.
"Lunch, old mech," Ratchet said. "I haven't had it yet. You?"
"It's a bit late, right?" he asked as they walked out of the office.
Holi watched them go, then grinned. "Since when is a second lunch going to be a problem, Ironhide?" she asked herself.
It wouldn't be. He would have others concerns shortly.
-0-On the way to Saturn
They passed the cloud shrouded figure of Venus. Incredibly hot and in the throes of runaway global warming and its greenhouse effect, it was about 900 degrees on the surface of the planet. It was hotter than even Mercury and it never cooled anywhere on world below 875 degrees. Flashing back past Earth, they passed Mars as well. The rocks of the asteroid belt were scattered widely where they entered and exited before the straight run to Saturn. The kids watched out the windows as they passed each thing before sitting back to talk together.
The kids from Mars were used to the sights, even Annabelle, James and Sandy. Conversation went on around them, NeoCybex, English, French, and several other languages echoed in a buzz. Watching the humans with curiosity, Lumi and Fireball sat side-by-side holding hands. Watching them with interest, an Earth2 girl leaned forward. :Are you two going together?:
Lumi glanced at Fireball who looked at the humans with slight confusion on his face. "What?" he asked.
:You know. Are you going together?: she repeated. :You know. Dating:
Fireball looked at Lumi, then over at Tru. :I don't know what you mean:
:Are you boyfriends?: she asked.
By this time, her group and two others were watching. Fireball and Lumi stared at them, then Annabelle leaned over her chair toward them. :Fireball and Lumi are great together. You two are my favorite boyfriends: She grinned at the two who stared at her uncertainly. Lumi pulled his hand free.
:I didn't know you dated. How long have you dated?: the young girl asked.
:A long time: Annabelle said. :Look. There's Trypticon!: she said.
Everyone turned to the windows to watch the approach of Saturn. Annabelle looked at the two, then switched channels. :Don't worry about them. They don't know stuff yet. You can do what you want and its okay. Okay?: she asked with a hopeful smile.
Fireball glanced at Lumi, then took his hand again. :Okay: he said. :I don't know about humans. Ada told us that some of them don't like us being friends like this:
:Who cares?: Anna said firmly. :As long as we're friends, nothing else matters. They'll learn. They're new yet: she said firmly. :We're all good. Until all are one, Fireball:
He glanced at Lumi, then grinned slightly at her. :Until all are one. But … I think we're going to need you to tell us what they mean. I don't get humans, either:
:As long as you get us, then all is well. Right?: she asked. :The others will learn:
Lumi nodded, then squeezed Fireball's servo. :Alright:
Fireball nodded, then everyone turned to the guide and Doctor Tapi. They had all arrived at Trypticon.
-0-On the street heading toward the Diner On The Corner
"How about a detour here for a moment, Ironhide," Ratchet said as he began to climb the steps of the plaza on his way to Metroplex Femme. Ironhide followed Ratchet upward, into the hospital and down the hallway to the Separation Wing. He ambled along unaware of anything until Gypsy stepped out of a suite. "You brought him along for this? Good," she said with a smile.
"If I'm going to suffer, so is he," Ratchet said as he turned to Ironhide. He had stopped in his tracks, then froze like a statue. "Let me grip your servo, slagger. It's time for paybacks."
Ironhide glanced from one to the other, then sputtered. "WHAT!?"
-0-TBC 10-24-17. Edited 10-25-17 edited 12-19-17