Sorry this is so late tonight. :D
The Diego Diaries: Moving On (dd6 471)
-0-Staff Meeting
They sat in their chairs, the senior Autobots and began to debrief. Springer was called upon first. "I saw a lot of similar and a lot of different things. They live a peaceful life without much trouble. It would appear that taggers are the biggest criminals there. Their policing forces and army, such as it is, are called the Peacekeepers. They have no Seekers and they treat Prime like the second coming. All of the homes that I saw where incredibly high end and it appears that's the way everyone lives and has lived. Their schools are really high end, though the son, Drift the Younger is getting bullied at school, so it appears a flaw exists in paradise after all."
Drift nodded. "I ended up in Kaon and from what little I saw while there, it was beautiful, pristine even, and the area on world where high tech evolves and is made. Sort of the Simi Valley of Cybertron, theirs," he said. "Given its my home town, I was sorta blown away and sort of dazzled at the same time. Go, Kaon."
"The other Prowl ended up in our Kaon," Prowl said. "It must have been a major shock to see it like that. We were together in The Residence in Iacon then all the jumping around commenced. I ended up with their Prime and of all individuals, Sentinel. What a strange thing that was. They treat the Prime there like a god. He even self identifies as one. It's who he is and he doesn't dance around it. He's Thirteen, by the way," Prowl said as he glanced at Prime.
Prime nodded. "Thirteen is the Prime who would be the Everyman. He is someone I find most relatable and so it does not surprise me that this is so."
"He's my favorite," Ratchet said as several others nodded. "Self effacing, decent, brave, smart, kind, generous, inclusive, forgiving, patient, holy … does it sound familiar?"
Prime stared at him without expression, then smirked. "No."
Everyone stared at Prime, then Raptor leaned forward onto his elbows. "Let's consider that a moment. If these dimensional planes are different facets of one same main thing, each of them acting out some universe like ours at different energetic signature levels with different conditions and players, each of them minutely different than each other but stemming like branches on a tree of the same main trunk, then it would be good conjecture to assume that you are Thirteen as well."
Prime considered that, knowing full well that it was so but unwilling to admit it here in this place, in this dimension, in this time. Conversations with the Pantheon over time had made it clear that this was likely and the few allusions that Alpha Trion added sealed the deal in his mind. However … this life was about free will and everyone having a chance to make their marks and their own life choices. If it was clear that a Pantheonic god lived among and led them, it would change things probably too much. As it was, he was their leader and he did his best. "Consider that if each universe explores every possibility that can exist into the infinite numbers, there might be a universe where you are Thirteen, Raptor."
Raptor laughed. "Not likely," he said with a grin. "Given all things being equal it would appear that in that one its so."
"Consider the distance they appear to be from us energetically. They must be at a vibrational level that nearly merges with those species that no longer require a mortal body. They vibrate so highly that being in close proximity to us makes us repel each other," Wheeljack said. "I would postulate that's part of the jumping process, that and some as yet undefined outside force."
"Jhiaxus would have his claws in it," Turbine said with a frown. "That mech leaves a silver trail behind himself wherever he goes."
"He does," Hard Drive said. "It would appear since we're all here that things have leveled out." Then he glanced at the ceiling and around himself. "I'm still here."
"I can't believe something as stupid as saying the opposite of what we wanted and needed would get us home," Springer said. "It couldn't be that easy, right?"
"No," Ratchet said. "I thought about that for some time and it would appear that we have powers in play that are beyond us. We're dealing with inter dimensional disturbances. We have that in the Benzuli Region and there's the Rifts. I also looked through the latest mapping from the Deep Space Mapping Array near Cybertron and there are tremendous spatial and temporal disturbances in the area bordering most of what the humans call the Delta Quadrant. They're spreading out and eventually given all things being equal, the math I've done means they will seal off that quadrant. I'm hoping that Megatron will be on the wrong side when they do."
"He could bridge in," Perceptor said. "I would assume they have adequate capabilities on their ships."
"Maybe," Ratchet said. "Maybe not. And who knows what the disturbances will do to bridges."
"Prowl said there were no temporal disturbances in their universe," Prime said. "There were no rifts, no Benzuli, no problems in their part of the universe. All was well and they were very deep space going with a lot of imperial territory and a lot of other space joined peacefully by confederations," Prime said.
"I never asked about the Tall Whites," Springer said. "The rift that got us wound up with the Shattered Glass universe and now theirs seems to have arrived with the inter dimensional break."
"It did," Wheeljack said. "That's a lynch pin for all of this but how it fits altogether, we're still working it out."
"That is a priority, Wheeljack. I have an intuition that this is going to subside a bit. I do not know why but I have learned to listen to them. I think someone somewhere was flexing their muscles and someone wanted us to know about each other. Not so much for us, but for them. They wanted us to know that they can reach in and break things," Prime said grimly. "We must work out what this is, where its coming from and have a defense in place.
"As for the alternative individuals that we dismantled, put Ironhide, Springer and Drift in the deep freeze. All of the soldiers will be put into the cooler. Let the civilians be revived. Not the titans, but the others. No soldiers will be allowed to function until further notice," Prime said.
Ratchet nodded. "On it," he said.
"Very well," Prime said as he sat back a bit more relieved. "What about Sentinel there?"
"He's a scientist, a scholar, lectures at the University, and they have a relationship. Apparently, he lives in The Residence with Prime. He's respected and smart," Prowl said grimly. "He also didn't like me calling him Orion either. They observe a bit of formality with him no matter who they were. By the way, the youngling Drift is his … what is it the humans call it? God son? Guardian? Apparently, Ironhide has the same kind of relationship that you two have."
"But Ironhide calls him sir, right?" Ratchet asked Ironhide with a giant smile. "Like you do here?"
Snickers were had as Ironhide grinned at Ratchet. "Slagger. I was bonded with Springer, apparently. Seems I have good taste no matter how fast my molecules vibrate."
"Apparently, I need a taste tune up," Springer said. "Shagging dear old atar almost happened."
"AND WHAT A FINE SHAG IT WOULD HAVE BEEN!" Ironhide said to everyone's everlasting ewww-ing and omg-ing.
Ratchet slapped him on the back of his helm. "Even joking, slagger. Even joking."
"Incest is your thing?" Drift asked Ironhide.
Ironhide grinned. "Nope."
They relaxed, then Prime glanced at Prowl. "What's the update on the untold and uncounted tens of millions that Dai Atlas found in the hinterlands?"
Prowl checked the latest data, then glanced at him. "We can start taking them now. He's bringing those most endangered forward first, gathering them into migrations. He put in a request for bridge access rather than bringing millions of ships this way. It would alleviate crowding right away and make it all easier. There are apparently 75,000,000 plus individuals located out there so far."
It was silent in the room, then Ratchet sat back. "Frag. There goes the neighborhood."
"Do we have them? Neighborhoods?" Springer asked with a trace of anxiety.
Jetta glanced at him. "Right now, we have room for six million newcomers. We're building in the crater near Aerie Hill and breaking ground in the other two big craters nearby for the same kind of cityscape that will eventually house 15,000,000 more. This is getting to be a big operation. I think I find myself yearning for a simpler life."
Prime grinned. "No you do not."
Jetta grinned back. "No, I don't."
"I do," Elita said as she patted Jetta's servo. "If we get the 15,000,000 in the new construction and the 6,000,000 in the stuff we already have, add that to the now what? 27,000,000 that are here and we're looking at a population of just under 50,000,000 bots. The humans are going to … what was it Epps said a few orns ago when he was talking about the committee on treaties in the Senate in America?"
Arcee grinned. "They're going to and I quote, 'shit a ring around themselves' ..."
"Yeah. That," Elita said with a grin.
Everyone took a moment to search for the saying, then everyone groaned and moaned even as they filed it away for later use.
"Humans aren't going to be totally happy about anything right now, at least in the leadership and business ranks," Raptor said with a grin. "I'm keeping that expression. Sort of suits Pudding," he said as he patted his carry hold.
"Put the cows on the table," Ironhide said as Blackjack and Raptor complied.
Anything for the infant.
The cows stood together, their little fat bellies shining like glass. Then they sat down side-by-side to chew their cuds. Everyone went aw, some patted them, then the show rolled on.
-0-At a lunch meeting in Unidad
They drove in, then parked in the parking lot by the door inside the facility. Greeted by Carly and a few of her officers, they climbed into a transport pulling a wagon. It was a fascinating and awe inspiring ride to the town, the drive down many streets and along the main one shocking in its beauty and familiarity. They pulled up before Merlie's in time. They craned their necks, the visitors, as they took in the scope of the building. The roof over the main concourse soared up ten stories. It was fronted with glass just like the other side of the building that faced the dome. On the two end sides of the building glass elevators rode up glass elevator shafts so that those riding inside could see out. There was no side of this building as vast as it was that didn't have access to an outside view.
Climbing out, they walked on the broad sidewalk to the open door and entered to a room filled with incredible aromas and the welcome of Merlie and her staff. Everyone took a chair at tables, gave their orders, got their tea and coffee, then sat back to wait for food. Owen Harris and his group including a silent Jase Daniels looked around. "This feels like any place on Earth," Harris said.
"It was designed that way. This town is designed to look like any small town on Earth around 1940 or 1950. I grew up in a small town in northern England that reminds me of this place," Carly said.
"It looks like pictures of Iowa in the 1950's," Brandon Clark said. "I like it. I'm assuming that the architects decided on the design from photos from Earth."
"Fort Max worked with Huffer and Gears to design this place," Carly said. "They worked with Dangerous and the two mechs involved who lent themselves to this facility. Then they created it. I think its brilliant."
"It creates an atmosphere," Hamilton Brown said.
"They want us to create a community," Carly said as Sam nodded.
"They want us to be a community and work together," Sam Witwicky said. "The humans on world are a community. There's about nine thousand of us now. We have to start something here that does us all proud."
"We'd like to work together with you. I know you aren't fully staffed but there must be ways our interests and paths can cross," Harris said. "My son has his business housed here. He's also put in for a hostel. I don't suppose you have that request yet or not?"
"It's in the inbox," Carly said. "Given that he's proven himself a great deal, he gets priority. I also have about fifty thousand applications for businesses and business affiliations waiting to be reviewed as well. He will be reviewed among the first group. I can't say one way or the other whether it will make the cut but it is in the stack. We work for Prime and Autobot City so everything runs past the committee who manage this place and among them is Ratchet."
Harris nodded. "What about the schools and university? We have 47 kids in the schools here. What about your schools and any overlap programs you might have in mind?"
"We have several applications in for the District to evaluate student transfers and there will be teams here shortly to test and talk to the kids and their families. Our ninth and tenth graders have been invited to visit Trypticon and use the telescopes. They'll be there with several groups from the local district. Our school here falls into the programs taught and supported through the European Schools statutes. We're trying to broaden our curriculums to encompass American, European, African, Asian, and Cybertronian components. We have children from 74 countries here and some of them have different systems. Our system is being refined to include a number of the major Earth educational best practices and to teach a broader more inclusive set of information that's more international than local in terms of Earth and here.
"We want our kids to be international and interplanetary in outlook," Carly said. "We're working out the kinks considering nearly every country on Earth has their own systems of levels and grades."
"My daughter goes to Youngling Day #1 in Centurion. It's the hardest school she's ever attended and its work. Its also longer. There are few days off, though the three day weekend is nice. Otherwise, they go to school eleven days in a row with holidays both Cybertronian and human on the calendar," Harris said. "It's tough and rather grueling but she's learning things she would never be given on Earth."
"How do they get along with the Cybertronian kids?" Phoebe Grant asked. She was doctor at Earth 1 and a consulting on-call doctor at Unidad and Earth2. She had two kids in the system and had heard a few things about a couple of the kids of the leadership of Earth2 from her own. Some were good and others not so much.
"They've made some friends," Hamilton said. "Jaycee Jamison gets along well. She hangs out with some of the girls in her class and they like her a lot. But then, she's easy going and younger."
"Good for her," Sam said. He glanced at Daniels, a thorn in his side from way back. "How's it going for you and your family?" he asked.
Jason Daniels who was listening to everything without much comment nodded. "Good," he said. "It's a nice change of pace for my grandfather and parents."
"I can imagine," Sam said as big plates of fried chicken, vegetable sides, slabs of cornbread, and ears of sweet corn were brought out. They set the food down, refreshed drinks, they walked back to the kitchen. No one else would be coming in to dine until this group was gone. It would allow the free flow of conversation between everyone without it ending up gossip on the in-house grapevine.
"How's Monica and Zak doing?" Kyle Davis asked as they began to eat their meal.
Carly grinned. "Brilliantly."
Sam chuckled, then passed the salt. It would be a profitable meeting before they took everyone on a jaunt around the facility.
An hour later in the country… Unidad Dome Farm Project ...
They pulled to a halt by a field where small plants were breaking the soil. It had been plowed, then planted, watered and carefully tended. A huge crop of potatoes were growing there and nearby in three other fields, feed for animals, wheat and corn were showing their little green heads, too. Standing at the gate for the irrigation canal, the group watched as Zak Hadden pulled up the plate that would allow the irrigation ditches in the field to receive water. It flowed inward from the canal passing by the field heading on its circuitous route around the farm, down the channels to water the entire field. When the allotted time was passed, the system would drop the door and seal off the water.
Turning to walk to the next field over, the two halted as the visitors came closer to look. Sam glanced at Harris who was looking at them with a tight expression of forced conviviality on his face. "Hello, Zak and Monica. I can see they have you working hard."
Zak Hadden grinned. "It's not hard when you love it." He looked at the fields around them. "Maybe we can supply vegetables by Thanksgiving this year."
Harris stared at the field, then the two agricultural specialists. "Put me down for some sweet corn."
They would spend some time listening to the plans that would be the start of the farming program, look around the dairy and inspect the cows, then watch as more animals arrived and were herded to their fields or pens. As ducks waddled past the group, their soft quacking sounds comical in the extreme, Owen Harris fumed silently. Carly and Sam would be amused.
-0-TBC 9-15-18