The Diego Diaries: Onward (dd6 301)

Guess who can't get online with this site once again? :[ ARGH! I HATE THIS HAPPENING! :D

-0-In the doorway to the Operational Center of the Autobots on Mars

They stood on the back of a segway watching the show inside. They were winding down their visit here and the prize that they sought was standing by a computer station watching the monitor. The reporters from three magazines on Earth who were still here, both serious and fashion, watched the big catch, Optimus Prime. They had asked to interview him and he had agreed after a conversation with a number of liaisons from the human community to speak with them for a few moments but it would have to be together.

There was something going on but the reporters hadn't been able to catch the news because they were going everywhere talking to everyone they could to compile stories down the road. At last, Prime turned from the console and walked to the conference room nearby to disappear inside.

A mech who was a runner, someone who carried things from station to station and had the duty to find, go to and otherwise be wheels on the road walked toward them. "Major, Prime has a few moments. We have a situation with a colony we're rescuing so its been busy. But if you go in there," he said nodding to the conference room, "he can speak to the humans for a moment."

:Thanks, Topper: Will Lennox said as he gunned the segway. Buzzing to the room, he drove inside and pulled up by the table. The ladder was already there so he led the way upward and when they reached the huge flat surface, they could see the impressive and handsome face of the strangest alien they had ever seen watching them quietly. They could see his dignity and quiet confidence. His intelligence spoke from his deeply blue optics. Lennox walked forward and they followed. He told them to tune into the bot channel and they did, then set their translators on which would be unnecessary. Optimus Prime spoke better English than they did. :Hi, Optimus. These are the three reporters who wish to talk to you. I know you have a mission underway among other things, so we'll keep it short: Will turned to the three. :You go first, you second and you last:

They nodded, then Kyle Brodie of People Magazine stepped forward. "Thank you, sir, for having us. I appreciate it a lot:

Prime nodded. "Thank you for coming. We welcome visitors every day from Earth."

:We were wondering given that there are so many habitats for humans here and it would appear that all of you, both human and Cybertronian get along well … when will normalized opportunities for general habitation for humans ever happen? Colonizing Mars was always on the books for us. We were wondering given the interest on Earth what you feel about that: Kyle asked.

"We have no problem with humans living here. What we do require is a level of control that relates to safety and defense. Some of the requests were made for settlements far outside the range of what I would be comfortable defending at the moment. Understand, we are responsible for any habitations, the security, operation and upkeep of such places as well as maintaining them to our standards. You are organic so your exposure to life here would be fatal if such care and effort by us wasn't expended. We also are very proprietary about our tech due to our own treaties and laws as well as with you. Your people have an unfortunate habit of turning tech into weapons. We have no problem doing this for you, our greatest allies and friends. We have had humans on world for a very long time. We are not opposed to humans living here … but until the threat of the Decepticons can be confidently said to be over, we cannot have you here in quantities because if your habitations were breached during a conflict, you would die."

"What can you tell us about the incident at the Sciences Habitat? We understand that was the first time humans were in that sort of danger and that the habitat held: he asked.

"It did. Two criminals made it through security when they came with a migration and were hiding in the population. They were discovered by a former police officer who knew of them from before on Cybertron and in the effort to arrest them, they breached the Sciences Habitat and took those inside prisoner. Most managed to get to the underground bunker but others, Major Lennox included, were taken prisoner. We negotiated a release and took them into custody. The habitat exceeded expectations," Optimus replied.

:Some of the humans living here have dual citizenship. Some of them have businesses. There are many humans on Earth that would like to build businesses here. Perhaps if settlements are longer in the making, what about businesses here? What about resources and the possibility of having more joint ventures, here and perhaps in the system?"

Optimus sat back a little. "We are not opposed to joint ventures. We have a number of businesses on Earth who employ a lot of humans and make things at very low cost for the benefit of everyone. We prize and enjoy our human friendships and partnerships, but again … we are still unsettled with the realities we live in and keeping things simple keeps everyone alive.

"That being said … we will be looking into ventures. Commander Ratchet will be going to the United Nations economic meet up shortly with a list of proposals that have come to us for discussion. We are an urban people and we make things from scratch our way. We do not want to mar this planet nor harm it. We have one open pit to mine from on world and everything else comes from space. We share those resources with Earth in the hope it alleviates and relieves the need to mine there. When that one reaches a certain level, we will fill it, then find another. It will be left as pristine as can be. If you come here to work or build businesses, they cannot leave any destruction to the environment. We work very hard to be respectful of this world."

:There has been a lot of speculation in the press on Earth and there have been a few mentions in local newspapers here that you are going to create another habitat in which the humans employed there will be workers for Autobot Nation and thereby, they would have to obey you as an employer and work provider: Kyle said. :Do you know anything about this?:

Prime grinned slightly. "That rumor has been circulating but it did not come from me. We make our plans carefully and balance out what we want and can do across several planets and an empire. We are very close to our human neighbors here but I did not start that rumor, though I have heard it around. I cannot give you a better answer than that."

And so it would go on …

-0-far away

A large silent group stood around a carefully tended burial site. Big mechs with experience in exhumations were brought in from Cybertron to help with the disinterment. It was hot but it felt good to the workers who were digging with hand held machines into the hard packed dirt. Down below were casings, long burial tubes stood into the ground Cybertronian-style. The deceased were interred feet downward, standing for all eternity in memory of a planet with finite space for their dead. There were over 3,300 of them, mostly from the Functionalist massacre but a few from the colony itself. Not everyone got to go to the promised land.

The crowd that watched were solemn, some emotional but all of them grateful for the little priests who had come to apply to the canisters the brands and to the despairing sparks of the crowd prayers to ease their wounded souls. Their murmurs were received with gratitude as the morning wore on. Tube after tube with images of the dead in life fastened to their sides were pulled out and laid carefully and respectfully on pallets. They were stacked up and winched tightly on. When the entire group was removed, Prime would come with his officers and they would have a moment together, these lost members of their people's agony, retrieved with all their family before they would be taken to safety on Mars.

Turbine would be there to add his own worthy sympathy to several who were reclaimed to his own sect, then all would gather to go. Before they would, they would swarm Prime to touch him, tell him their story and thank him with agonized gratitude. It would take a while and it would be intensely emotional for everyone.

-0-Around the colony on Mars

They drove around the area looking at everything. The two moles from the Consulate were driving and in the vehicle was every mercenary from Earth2 sitting on the seats in the rear of the big N.E.S.T. vehicle. Driving up the highway past the Mausoleum, then merging with heavier traffic heading into the Temple District, they motored onward. It was silent mostly as they watched the vehicles around them. Nearly everyone of them was driverless. As they reached the first stop light at the junction of Fortress and Sports Center Road, three of the cars around them flipped into transformation. They stepped off on either side of the road to walk off on their own private business as the humans watched with amazement. Nearby, a bus load of visitors from the Resort were watching and taking pictures as well.

Carlos Ortega laughed. "That'll never get old. What a great way to go somewhere. You never have to worry about parking."

The others grinned or chuckled. Jim Johnson leaned back against the seat in the rear of the vehicle. "It would. Where are we going anyway?"

"I thought we'd take a spin around the city center, then go to Terra. Their mall there has a water park that has to be seen to be believed," Levi Hutter said. He was a plant from The Family who was part of the Beta Striker force who served at the Consulate as security. Beside him sitting in the passenger seat was his partner, Miles Anderson. Both of them bore the tiny dot tattoo on their ankle which alerted others of their persuasion to each other. They disappeared into the traffic as they continued onward. At no time when they did would any of them be off the radar of Special Ops who had found them out and attached code to their gear that would allow Elita and Jazz to know where they were at all times.

All of them.

-0-At the big frame yard

They began to come in, groups of hundreds who were transported to the colony on large vessels. The first group that came were the dead. They were taken to the new mausoleum on the hillside of the Crater District where a new burial ground had been created. They would be held there until their families were here and settled in. Then an announcement would be made about them and thousands of Cybertronians in the colony would come forward to join the interment ceremony. Once the elders at the airfield were identified, therapists would be told of the news. None of them would consider it wise or prudent to tell those like Lesto about it for now.

They had been loaded after a short moment with Prime, Turbine and some of the General Staff and Committee before taking off. It had taken a while for Prime and the others to walk back through the bridge that sent them, some back to Cybertron and the rest to Mars. Now the people came, their belongings soon to arrive on huge cargo ships. They walked from the ships looking around in astonishment before being led gently toward the techs waiting to reclaim them for The People. In the distance and all around them the giant spires and towers of cities glistening in the sunlight could be seen. Actual highways, eight paved lanes with traffic signals seemed to lead everywhere. There were spires and towers galore in each obvious and seemingly massive city location. Some of them were several such cityscapes grouped together while others were singular and spread apart.

It was almost silent as they stepped out. This was not what they expected. They had left their established settlement with dread about what could happen next, though there were very few among them that didn't understand their time in their old location was running out. The disconnect between expectation and reality was almost overwhelming.

Morius, Inweld and Partition stood nearby with Lon and Bezel waiting to be dispersed to assist when the crowds reached the immigration and refugee stations. They were full time Watch mechs now, the five, though some of them were also attached to army service. Lon and Bezel were 'on-call, stand by' status soldiers which made them quasi-regular army. They didn't muster every time but often enough to earn credibility among the professional army. Because the 'big mechs' mentored them and loved them, they got more opportunities to go out on actual missions than 99.9% of the Home Guard would ever have. Morius, Inweld and Partition were full time 'trainee' status Watch mechs who were working toward full accreditation as police. They were also Home Guard in their military status which meant unless it was considered a good training exercise they would probably never go out on missions. Partition would be an exception as a medic and when Morius and Inweld finished their coursework, they would be standby medics as well, attached as junior back up medics to a police substation in the colony. That two were lawyers was a huge bonus to their new most beloved careers.

"This is amazing. It shouldn't take a lot of time," Partition said.

"Where's Lancer?" Lon asked.

"She's helping the mission. They took the femme team for ground offense but it wasn't needed. She commed me that she's coming back with the last ships after they blow the settlement," Partition said as he watched the crowds mentally bookmarking any that looked like they needed help. His medical kit was carried on his back just like his brothers and he was ready to go when the refugees reached the stations.

"When are you two going to get bonded?" Bezel asked. "Shacking up can't be going over too well with the genitors, I can imagine."

"My ada is good with us. He would rather I do the 'right thing'," Partition said with a grin. "We're … that is, I'm going to be telling them this weekend. Given the championship game is on at the same time, I hope it distracts my atar enough to accept things."

"How is he doing?" Bezel asked.

"He's sort of lost," Partition said with a sad expression. "It's hard to watch. He's my best friend."

"He's … sad about things," Morius said. "We're hanging out with both of them more. He's still unsure what to do about all this. It's been a big blow and its sort of all he knew."

"I also think it made he aware of the stuff he was part of on Cybertron. There was a lot of slag," Inweld said. "We have to own up to it, Bez. All of us. No matter how hard it is to do it."

Bezel nodded. "It's better here. I wish they could see it. This is better than Cybertron ever was," he said. "Are you going to Cybertron any time soon?"

"I'm going with Ratchet after the U.N. meet up on Diego." Partition grinned slightly. "I asked to go and he said okay. I have to apologize to a bunch of mechs there. I was a slagger to them and I want to clear the decks."

Morius grinned, then slapped his brother on his back. "I never thought I would see the orn."

Partition smirked. "You were nothing to write home about either."

They laughed, then turned toward the crowd, picked their spots and walked to them. The weary and overwhelmed newcomers would be grateful.

-0-Lucien

He worked at his desk finalizing things that would be discussed at the Diego meeting shortly. It would be the first big action of his post Pantheonic slagging. He sat back as he considered the father and grandfathers that he adored. They were all wrong. He could pretend that what happened didn't matter and all manner of foolhardy self delusion. Apparently, everyone had lived in it since forever. Joining the new paradigm, even as outlined and underlined by the Great Ones Themselves felt like betrayal and it astonished him how much it hurt.

Laslo had embraced their new life altogether. Partition was keeping company with a mid-caste femme … make that former mid-caste femme. Morius and Inweld had shown them their tattoos declaring their status as full time peace officers. They were nearly finished with field medic certifications. He remembered when they graduated from the University full fledged attorneys. His spark had nearly burst with pride. Partition, his best friend and most beloved eldest son had graduated from the Diplomatic Institute to become a diplomat and negotiator.

He had overlooked the comments about suitability from everyone. This son was capable and decent he had countered. He's young. Give him time. When it was clear that Ratchet wouldn't be having him on his team, this designated Secretary of State and head of the diplomatic corps, he remembered the hate he felt for the big low caste medico. It felt righteous then but it felt heavy now. When they needed saving at Caste Court, this mech who should have hated them, who should have gloated as they sat humiliated and repudiated by their own community saved them.

He was deeply conflicted and confused. Maybe time would heal all wounds but he, himself, felt left behind. Maybe the Diego trip would help. He hoped so as he turned back to his pile of work and the agenda that he was creating for everyone who would attend. The afternoon would pass by quietly in the sun-filled office of Lucien of Iacon.

-0-TBC 3-17-18 edited 3-18-18