The Diego Diaries: Fun (dd6 307)
-0-Ops Center
"Well, what's up, Prowler?" Ratchet said as he sat down on a chair across from the Intensity Known As Prowl.
He glanced up. "Is Sunspot going to the party today?"
"He is along with our three little mechs," Ratchet said. "Ironhide got the present so Primus help all of us. Sunny was with him so it might be something that will make it through Terran customs if Sandy ever takes it to Earth. Maybe."
Prowl smirked. "What about the weekend. We better plan things. Everyone is going to be turning to us for instructions anyway."
Ratchet nodded. "We're going out for breakfast on the game orn, probably to the Diner. I'll call them for reservations if you forget."
"You assume that I, Prowl am capable of such mundane possibilities," Prowl said.
They stared at each other a moment, then Ratchet smirked. "I'll call them."
"Good," Prowl said with a smirk of his own. "Dinner after the game. I suppose you have your mob coming including Partition?"
"He asked to bond to Lancer. Eventually Lucien is going to become an in-law," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. "My life … it's not my own."
Prowl laughed loudly then grinned at Ratchet smugly. "I noticed that."
They glanced toward the door as Ultra Magnus walked in. They noticed him before he arrived by the density of his energy.
Ratchet glanced at Prowl, then Magnus as he arrived to pull a chair to sit. "You look like slag. What's up?" he asked.
"Is Optimus here?" he asked as he nodded to Ratchet. "There has been a development on Earth."
Prowl was silent a moment, then he sat closer. "What's going on?"
The door nearby opened as Optimus stepped into the huge room. He walked to the table and sat. "You called?" he asked as he glanced at Prowl.
"Magnus says there's a development on Earth," Prowl said as he looked at the grim faced mech sitting at the end of the table. They all turned to him. "What's going on?"
"I was given the heads up. It would appear that William, James and Jason Daniels along with Theodore Galloway and Bill Nast were given presidential pardons last night and are due to be released from prison in two orns," Magnus said.
The three stared at him, then Prowl leaned slightly closer. "Excuse me?" he asked with incredulity.
Magnus nodded. "I was given a call from someone I know in the government and was told that the President pardoned all of them himself. Apparently they were friends of a friend. They get a full release back into society and will be free Friday."
Silence reigned a moment, then Ratchet shifted uneasily. "Who's the friend?"
"A billionaire who's incidentally part of the consortium of investors that owns 41% of the Earth2 corporation. He's a man by the name of Harvey Richardson who owns a lot of real estate, casinos in Las Vegas, Mississippi, Florida, Europe and other places still being searched. He's worth a tremendous amount of money as a venture capitalist and likes space. He wants the tech. He also likes the earning potential of space, thus he's become with his friends the single largest shareholder of the corporation that fronted and pushed through the development and implementation of Earth2."
"Frag," Ratchet said. "I do remember that Johnson and Hedges used to hole up in Lake Tahoe as the house of an ultra nationalist billionaire. Someone who has ties to the other side of things."
"There's more," Magnus said. He looked at Prime. "I was told that he's pressuring the corporation to let Jason, Ted Galloway and his father, James come to Mars and work at Earth2."
Prime stared at Magnus, then glanced at Prowl. "Get Mearing, Lennox and Simmons here, then have Glenn on the phone … I believe he's at Diego today. I want Warren as well." He rose and with the others walked to the conference room nearby while Prowl organized things.
Then Prowl walked to the room and closed the door behind him.
-0-Cybertron, regarding the war games in three orns
:I'm going to slag you into the fifth dimension:
:You can try but you're not as feral as me, little mech: Raptor said as he trudged along a pathway that led to housing areas. A lot of small towns and villages, waysides in the roadways leading to other places, stations and roadhouses were finished and he was seeing the results. All of it was noted in the computers that ran everything and kept track of all of it but there was nothing like seeing it yourself. The area was very happy to show him their efforts which were amazing. This had been a pockmarked wasteland and now it was mint new and covered here and there with beautifully restored roads and habitations. :You will never see the orn, infant, when you can best me in the air:
:We'll see: Ironhide said to his grandpa.
Raptor was on the other side of the world from him. He was looking at a restoration project along the Sea of Mithral. It was going to be hard slag to get things cleaned up, the ordinance lying around cleared away and the right combination of growing things planted to hold together the structure of the shoreline. When the storms rolled in, erosion and long term damage was assured.
The storms when they came were doozies in the odd disturbed condition of the planet. Dark clouds were hanging overhead in the dark endless night of their planet and not for the last time did Ironhide wish to see blue skies again. :Three orns and we'll see, that is if there's nothing stupid rolling in to stop it. Then the best mech will win:
:Tonight in the man cave, infant. We have to get our team game plan together. The slagging Dinobots made half a dozen raptors. Slaggers: He was silent a moment, then he was back. :You have to go back. Optimus needs you over something:
Ironhide stopped by the roadway, then looked at the others. "Carry on a moment. Prime wants me to do something a moment. I'll be back when I can." Then he called a bridge. When it burst into sight, he entered and was gone. The others would carry on including Partition and his brothers for the second orn in the field and all its unpredictable problems.
-0-Ops Center
Ironhide walked in and saw that Paragon was pointing to the conference room. Nodding to the big winger, he walked to the door and let himself in. A lot of senior Autobots were there and some were on monitors including some of their human allies. He walked to his usual place and sat down. "What's going on?"
"Jase Daniels, his father and grandfather along with Ted Galloway and Bill Nast are being let go from prison due to a presidential pardon," Ratchet said.
"WHAT THE FRAG!?" Ironhide asked with his own incredulity.
"Well its all unanimous now," Ratchet said with a grin. "It gets better. Their benefactor owns almost half of the Earth2 Corporation and he wants them to work here … at least, Galloway, Jase and James Daniels."
Ironhide stared at Ratchet, then glanced at Prime. "Never. Right? This is going to happen?"
"That's what we're talking about now," Magnus said. "Warren is getting the ground information for us."
Warren nodded. "I just received a text that the deed is done, the President and Harvey Richardson are friends and that they have some business ventures or did have. The President gave them all a pardon. Apparently he's quite unpredictable."
"No doubt," Seymour Simmons said. He turned toward Prime. "There was a saying that one of our presidents once used to live by, Prime. Lyndon Johnson. He said its better to have your enemy on the inside of the tent pissing out, than to have them outside the tent pissing in."
"Colorful but self explanatory," Morshower said. "How about this one? Do you feel lucky, punk?"
They referenced it, saw the entire movie in 0.2 seconds, then half of them grinned. "I see your point," Ironhide said with a nod.
"I think we need to gather as much intel into this as we can, then wait to see it shake out. I'm sure public opinion isn't behind it. I also think that it could be another window into the opposition," Ratchet said. "It'll be up to you, Prime, to decide and for me as your head of the state apparatus to send a letter to the government protesting this move. At least put that on the table. As for the rest, we can wait. We still have time."
"Has Richardson said why he wants them here? What does Harris say? What would they do?" Jetta asked as he sat beside Jazz and Elita. If there was going to be an operation run against this new twist they would control it.
:I have feelers out about it. No one will keep it from me. No one liked Ted and this whole business is such a stain on our honor: Mearing said as Simmons nodded.
:I'm going to put the squeeze on Bannochek. Tom owes me large: Simmons said with barely repressed battle lust.
"I want to know what they will do and what they owe Richardson. What does Richardson want that he believes these three will bring him? Understand, the mercenaries that Jason Daniels had with him on Diego are those at Earth2," Prime said.
Springer and Drift walked in, pulled a chair, then sat.
"What?" Springer asked as he glanced at the faces around him, all of them grave. "What now?"
"Ted Galloway and the Daniels along with your good friend, Bill Nast have been pardoned. In three orns they'll walk out of prison free men," Elita said with a slight smirk. "I can't wait to tell Arcee."
It was grim in the room.
-0-On highly secured monitors all over the place
"What do you know about Harvey Richardson, Ted Galloway and the Daniels … Jase, James and William, Joe?" Morshower asked tersely. "You do know they were pardoned today and will walk out of prison on Saturday free men. Correct?"
Joe stared at him as he sat in his office at N.E.S.T. HQ. "No, I didn't hear that. Why?"
"That's what we want to know. They're big friends of Harvey Richardson. He's a big friend of the President. We have a problem because as a major shareholder and investor with Earth2, he wants at least Ted, Jase and James to work there."
"That would be ridiculous," Joe said as he leaned back in his chair. "That's going to give a black eye to the facility. Prime won't allow it would he?"
"Prime's keeping his own counsel. I need information. I need it yesterday. This is going to get ugly and you have to decide which side you truly are on. Either the side where things matter or with them," Morshower said.
Joe sighed. "I have friends, Glenn. I will consult them."
"Do it wisely and keep it down low," Glenn said. "I have the brief for everyone there. Putting these fools there the way the bots feel and with their former mercenaries is asking for trouble. There is no leeway for trouble, Joe. People could die and we're talking about children here. They live in the same spaces as well."
Joe nodded. "Give me a day. I'll call you."
Glenn nodded. "On the encrypted line. Morshower out."
The screen faded as Joe Bowers sat in his chair staring out at the desiccated landscape of an ancient world. As he did, he wondered when it began to matter this much to him. He hadn't noticed the change. Maybe the place did that to you. All of the humans he knew and worked with felt that way. Maybe he was just a slow learner. He opened his message manager and began to scan for a few men he knew that knew everyone and everything going on everywhere.
-0-Later that afternoon
They boarded the same bus, all the kids heading for the party. Among the humans that were going home to their tower, there were a few others heading there for the party from other places.
Jaycee Jameson and Camilla Brown were going to Sandy's party. They sat on the bus with Cybertronian kids also invited. Sunspot, Bos, Co-d, Reflector and a micro mini-con femme named Minka were going to be the first bot guests at a Tower party since forever.
At the tower, everyone was getting ready. The party would start when they arrived. It would be amazing.
-0-TBC 3-24-18 edited 3-31-18 01-18-2022