The Diego Diaries: Onward and Homeward (dd6 476)
-0-On a barren planet far away
They walked among the camps finding who they needed there. The camps were huge and stretched away into the distance until they disappeared from sight. It was a camp supplied from the place they were all going, a small cold planet in a nondescript solar system on the edge of the galactic arm. The doctors and techs who were gathering the first refugees to be repatriated were putting tags on them as they were located through their internal transponders. Families with those in most need were going first, heading to medical attention and security most had no experience with.
These were old settlements, those that had wandered the farthest away, setting down where there was a place for them that would allow them to fade from anyone's memory. They built their lives there, traded with mostly friendly aliens and hoped against hope they would have peace. Then the violent aliens came, some who didn't require ships, some who had energy bodies and could appear out of nowhere. It took a long time to understand that these aliens required proximity to the raw energy disturbances that made up this part of space to function freely. Some groups moved far enough away to be out of their range but others couldn't or wouldn't. They learned how to fight. Because they did with this sort of being, they were amazingly technical about a number of things.
Their defenses were sophisticated. Their alarm system highly advanced. Their toughness enduring and their weariness monumental. When the Knights and Circle scouts showed up, they jumped at the chance to go. Too many were coming out of the rifts to fend off and it was only a matter of time. Where they came from, no one knew. For all they could guess, maybe the energy rifts made them or they were the rifts in mobile formats themselves. They didn't know and they were learning not to care. They gathered their leadership and began to plan to move five millions Cybertronians away. This was the leading edge of that group, those gathering to go to their vessels to make their way to Mars.
Nearby, walking in lines to a building which housed two small space bridges, the kind you could find on fast light ships that did deep space exploration, thousands of individuals gathered to go through them to Mars directly. Ships carrying others would go and take with them lots of important databases. They would leave nothing behind and blow up everything they had built before they left. Nothing, not a single thing would be in one piece when they at last disappeared from this area.
Lines of those who were well, who had their families, small possessions and pets waited patiently and nervously to enter the building to leave. Their greater belongings had been put onto ships for transport and return on the other side. For those who were giving up everything, even the chance to keep what little they had was precious. Voices murmured, a rumbling in the bright light of early morning. The sun was up at the Oasis Base Camp near the Rim. It was the place where they came to be cared for before going onward. It held nearly four million individuals. More were coming and still more behind them. It was an endless parade of individuals and would probably continue for years. It was even conjectured that Cybertron would be receiving new refugees at some point.
Dai Atlas stood with his mechs at the command center watching the long lines slowly walk into the bridge building. "This is good. What's the data like on the other four sectors?"
Star Saber glanced at him. "Settlements and camps dot the entire area. We can bring them in when this five million are gone. It'll take a bit to clean up the camps but we can do it. Give us an orn or two."
Dai Atlas nodded. "What about the Decepticons? Are they still hanging around?"
"They are. I passed the word on to Prime," another mech said, one who was big, grizzled and hard as nails.
"Good," Atlas said as he stepped out to do his inspections. He walked through the camps seeing how it was. He was a good sight to see for those waiting. It would go on day and night and he would find more and more lost sheep.
-0-Ops Center that morning
Ratchet sat down at the table, then grinned. "You have a new intern program with the humans. Just so you know."
Optimus glanced up at Ratchet. "I do?"
Ratchet nodded, then told them the saga of the Allens. "We can have them housed at the big habitats, supervised by the humans and working as their body slaves for a year at a time. We can include kids from all over Earth, especially the developing countries. The more they can see that things can be different and better, the more they can help their own people. I want it to be a mix of kids, not just rich ones or those who get straight A's."
Prime nodded. "Alright. It is your problem." He sat back. "We have a big migration coming through shortly. I assume your end is ready."
"You assume correctly. I have everyone in place at the Immigration and Refugee Center," he replied. "I want others to get some experience so I'm going to be running around everywhere unless a big case comes in and the manifest thus far shows nothing my teams can't handle. I intend to cavort around. Perhaps Granny can join me."
Prowl who was listening to him grinned. "Some of us have to work. Some of us don't get to be afts at will."
"Aw," Ratchet said patting Prowl's servo. "What's the word on the Seekers that are rumored out there and the 'Cons. Anyone defecting yet?"
"We have two bogies on sensors, deep space, behind their lines. Some of them are edging toward the demarcation line and might make a break for it. If they do, we might have to assist," Prime said. "I want them to make it if they come with sincerity. More guns for us, less for them."
Ratchet nodded. "Good idea. We have conferences tomorrow for the dread kids, Sunspot and Hero. The others are the following orn."
"We have Miracle and the girls tomorrow, then the little mechs the following orn. One or the other of us are going to be there. By the way, what's the word on Halo going to school anytime soon?"
"I think its 'nil'. I may need C-4 to pry this one loose," Ratchet said with a grin.
-0-Not so far away, underground
She stood next to a rack of bombs, holding on with her tiny black servos. Her long stands of 'hair' shimmered in the overhead lighting, glistening copper, platinum and silver as the strands moved with her helm. She was staring up at Ironhide, watching as he counted things and tapped them, testing them for soundness. She was still a bit unsteady, being way younger than a walker should be. She smiled at him, then patted the bombs, too. Ironhide was explaining things.
"These bombs are good and hardy. They leave a big hole. They would be used by shuttles to break down hardened bunkers," he said, then glanced down. She was teething on the fin of one of them now. He grinned. "You hungry?"
She looked up and smiled. "BAH!"
"That sounds like yes to me," he said as he subbed his datapad and picked her up. Kissing her little cheek, he tucked her into his carry hold. "Let's get us some grub, infant. Counting builds up an appetite." With that, the two walked toward the elevator and the short jump upward to the deck. A walk to the subway would lead to Centurion and the Food Fare Street Market that was held there every day. It would be a pleasant journey for both. It would be 'funner' when Ratchet arrived.
-0-School
Sunspot finished his daily short story, then walked to stand in line at the table where Mr. Terradive sat to look them over and discuss what might need be done or how great it looked finished. Silverbow stood in front of Sunspot holding her notebook. He held his, the one they used a stylus to write on, one that they used to work both sides of the communications angle, digital and manual. She grinned at him. "Are you going to come to Trypticon for the star thing, Sunny?" she asked.
"I told my atar about it. He said he'd come or my Appa Corr. It's going to be fun," Sunspot said.
Silverbow leaned in closer and spoke in a low voice. "There's going to be humans there. Are you going to be alright?"
He considered that, feeling a very small version of the old fear rising. "Maybe," he said tensely.
"Don't worry about it. Comet and I will protect you. Okay?" Silverbow asked quietly.
He looked at her a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
Silverbow stepped forward with her book and the attendant little pictures that went with it. While she was discussing it with Terradive, that mech was making a note to watch out for Sunspot when they went to their overnight science project there, the one with bigger telescopes than the school had. The orn would wear on happily at Youngling Day School #1 in Centurion.
-0-Elder Outpatient Care, Elder Care, Inc, Iacon, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire, Postal Code 199-CX
Corr stepped down and listened as the elder tech doing his nine decaorn review discussed his processor levels with Chan, Docker and Appa Ratchet. Corr moved to Chan and took his servo, joining in to listen.
"His various processor fluid levels are holding well. All of his patterns from his baseline scan show normal and he appears to be in good overall health. His protoform wasting recovery appears to be approaching 65% which is a good level considering how depleted you were, Corr," Dr. Medley said.
He was on call at the hospitals for elder medicine but had a specialist private practice with his brother and two cousins, all of them holding great expertise in elder care. He was Corr's initial doctor and was now his personal physician for all his therapies. It was a shocking and amazing turn of events for a little mech who had like the others learned to suffer in silence.
"Right now, just continue on your medications." He handed a data wafer to Docker. "This is a modification of his medicine for his equilibrium, Docker. You can get it filled at any pharmacy or the hospital itself."
"We go to Autobot City Professional Pharmacy. Breezy is our druggist. He and his little bond are so lovely," Docker said.
"They are aren't they?" Medley said with a smile. "You're good for another nine decaorns and if this continues, when he reaches 85% on his recovery from protoform wasting, we might be done with our visits."
"You tell me what to do, Dr. Medley, and I will do it. Thank you for being so nice to me. I don't know how I would be without you. Thank you for helping me without payment."
Everyone looked at Corr, then Chan frowned. "We don't need payment here, Corr."
He looked at them, then shook his helm. "I forgot. Sometimes I find this hard to believe."
Medley plugged in, checked everything, then unplugged. "Do you go to counseling, Corr? I think its essential. This disarray about things is common. I would like to know your therapist."
"We go as a group with Corr to Doctor Eras. Ratchet likes him a lot. He's a good elder therapist and we keep Corr company. Don't we, Corr?" Appa Ratchet asked.
Corr grinned. "They do. We talk about the old orns and how it was then. I hated it. I don't want to go back to that again. But sometimes I think I forget."
"It's alright. Until you reach at least 75%, part of it is processor oriented," Medley said. "I'll give Eras a call and see how its going. Perhaps you can go more often until you completely recover. How is school?"
"It started again and its really wonderful," Corr said with a smile.
"He's doing so well. We study together at my son's business, then we go home to sit and read while Corr naps. We take care of each other really well and Sonny is just next door," Docker said.
"Then it looks good," Medley said. "If you need me, you have my number."
They did. They chatted, then walked out to go to the pharmacy. Breezy would take care of it personally while he chatted with them about Ratchet, someone he held in great esteem. When they left, they would take lunch home, eat it, then wait for Corr to get through his nap. All would be well.
-0-At the Immigration and Refugee Plaza southwest of the Big Frame Shipyard southeast of Terra
They began to come, walking through the space bridge in the building that held four of them at this end. Two were for the refugees, two were for the military, the Network, Atlas, and emergencies. At this end, lines of individuals, lots of trucks and runabouts waited for everyone to clear customs and immigration so that they could be taken to where they needed to go. Most would go to their new city and homes. Some would go to hospitals and care centers. All would be gently taken in, guided through the process and gather with guides. The roads, subways and footpaths everywhere would be filled with people and vehicles going wherever until five million more refugees were absorbed. Then there would be a respite before it would begin all over again.
Welcome to Mars.
-0-TBC 9-20-18