The Diego Diaries: Avalone and Beyond (dd8 275)
=0=At the crash site
Barron walked in then paused at the table. Nodding to everyone there he turned to Prowl. "What can I do for you, Commander?" he asked.
"Please. Sit, Barron. We have a tale of woe to tell you," Prowl said with a grin.
Barron sat, then listened to the tale spun by Prowl, Caro, Venture, Ultra Magnus, Sam and Warren Roberts. It was one for the ages. He sat back to consider the considerable changes that this had thrust upon them. "Well, this makes a lot of things agreed upon null and void."
"I thought about that," Prowl said. "It can change the balance of power right away. I would like you to accompany us to Optimus at the crash site, all of you so that he can listen and make decisions right away. The sooner, the better given the problems on Earth at the moment. I've called Springer and Drift to keep those involved under surveillance."
"That's for the best I think," Barron said as the party rose to go.
Nearby, the sound of a truck rolling up could be heard. It halted, then Graham and Lennox stepped out. :We're here, Prowl:
Prowl smirked slightly. "You are aren't you."
=0=Moments later after a bridge jump
They walked out of the bridge toward a Supreme who was landed to provide a base site and headquarters for the operation. Gasps were heard from the punters who sat on servos as they saw the ship lying nearby. The grim faced party made their way through the heavily markered scatter field of Avalone's body parts.
Criminal Forensics and Medical Forensics had arrived and were going through the debris field marking the spot of even the most fragmentary piece of the downed titan, making sure that when they left it all came with them. The Watch Forensics team led by a grim-faced Sky were making the case against the multi-dimensional pirates who'd tried to scavenge Avalone through the unwilling mechs who were now on Cybertron with their deliriously happy families.
Footprints were taken, images made and the ship's own automatic cameras as well as the films made by the unhappy accomplices' ship were turned over to be examined. Meticulous as he was, Sky would make the case that was here, one that would hold up mightily under scrutiny.
As usual.
Medical Forensics would mark the pieces, making the picture of how they were scattered, place it against his normal modes and use that to help everyone figure out how to lift the behemoth to take him out of here dead or alive. Nothing and no one would be left behind.
They passed the big silent mech then walked up the ramp of Gamma Supreme. He was playing a game like chess with Prime as Prime waited for a report to come.
Prime glanced up, then sat back. "Did you come to save me from losing this game?"
A deep chuckle was heard from the depths of the ship. "You are a formidable opponent, Lord Optimus. I am enjoying this game."
"And I, too," Optimus said with a grin.
The group gathered around him, then Prowl pointed to a piece. "That would be my next move."
Prime stared at him, then moved it.
"So … you need an assistant now, Lord Optimus?" Gamma said with a smirk in his voice.
"If it helps, yes," Optimus said to laughter and derision. "How may I help you back, Prowl?"
Prowl explained the situation, Barron answered with his part, the humans squirmed with outrage and embarrassment … in short, it was a great introductory meeting to 'How The Mighty Have Fallen', a soap opera that was about to grip the Empire for the next few.
=0=Ops Center some time later
Hardie, Delphi, Raptor and Turbine walked in to take a seat, called here from their duties. Barron, Blackstone, Coln-2, Prowl, Prime, Sam Witwicky, Will Lennox, Niall Graham, Ultra Magnus, a pensive looking Caro, a slightly enraged Venture, a highly amused Prowl, Warren Roberts and Prime were already there. Moving to a seat they fell into the silence together.
"So this looks intriguing," Hardie said. "What are we looking at now?"
"We have a situation from Earth that is going to be important to our operation here. We invited a number of relevant humans to come to discuss the situation so we can make an informed decision regarding perhaps the changing of a paradigm, dare I say it?" Prowl asked.
"We're going to kick someone's ass then," Delphi said with a grin.
"Pretty much," Prowl said.
Huge laughter even from the humans greeted that.
=0=Around Unidad Terra 1
They were gathered at Unidad, the leadership of all the habitats that were human operated.
Springer and Drift with pretender gear operational walked into the Habitat to find their way to the meeting which was in the City Hall downtown. Grabbing a small vehicle, a tiny pickup truck from the motor pool by the door they drove off at speed to join the flow of traffic hearing for 'The City', the cute and very busy 'downtown' section of the habitat where business, local commerce, education and dining could be had.
=0=At the meeting at Unidad's City Hall
"Is there something wrong, Owen?"
He glanced at Carly who looked at him with concern. Sitting up straighter he shrugged nonchalantly. "No. I'm just a little tired."
Carmine Satello, the human administrator from Prima Station grinned. "Come to the station, Owen. You can spend time in a spa hotel and recreate out in the land forms."
Owen grinned faintly. "It sounds tempting."
A rap on the door drew their attention to two men standing there, men who were known to all of them. One of them, tall handsome and rangy grinned. "Hi. I came to take you to a meeting with the Boss."
All of them stared at Drift and Springer in pretender gear then each other. Only one of them could hazard a guess why.
=0=Outside
Carly Brooks-Spencer, Owen Harris, Brandon Clark, Cindy Tomas, Jasmine Fuller from the Consulate, Judy Witwicky from the Resort and Carmine Satello from Prima Station climbed up the steps to find a seat inside a transformed Springer. He was in flight mode and was going to get everyone to The Fortress at the same time.
Drift had transformed and blasted out earlier and would coincide his arrival with theirs.
Lifting off to fly directly after clearing it with the Flight Center at Fort Max as an 'essential priority one flight', Springer rose up and blasted toward Autobot City.
=0=Ratchet
He got the call from Prowl and the nod to come if he could when needed given he was the Liaison to the Habitats, Secretary of State, Ambassador without Portfolio, CMO of the entire Empire and all around bag carrier to Optimus Prime. He linked in as he watched the rise in the level of sentience that Avalone was granting him through tricky navigation of the probe he was sending into his processor. A tiny node was coming up fast and it'd make or break the possibilities before them.
It fragged him off ENORMOUSLY to be here when all the drama and gossip was going on back at Autobot City.
Anyone who might have heard him think that would have laughed given what he was doing at the moment.
=0=Nearby The Fortress
A couple of Watch mechs held traffic in front of The Fortress to allow Springer to land. When he did the hatch opened and fully geared humans stepped down the ramp. When they were clear Springer transferred back into himself. With the two Watch mechs, Drift who had beat him here going overland and himself, they carried the gathered humans to The Fortress to go inside.
Traffic returned to its normal pattern.
=0=Moments later
They sat on comfortable chairs on the table top in the giant main conference room of the building. Sitting or standing all around the room were formidable Autobots, all of them staring at the humans with identifiable emotion affects. Some were unhappy, some were amused but most were just curious. It was debatable if they knew why they were here, some of them.
"Thank you for coming," Prime said as he dampened down his amusement and sense of triumph. "I have asked you all to come here today to discuss a very distressing and important set of circumstances that have been relayed to us via your media concerning our operations here on Mars."
The humans stared at Prime, then Cindy Tomas at Harris. Dread filled her as she did. She knew why Harris was out of sorts and why they were here but she didn't say anything yet.
"Perhaps you've heard the news today," Prowl said coolly. "We have and its rather illuminating."
It was deeply strangely silent for a moment then Owen Harris stood. :I have and I'd like to say something, Lord Optimus:
"May I interject here please," Blackstone said. He glanced at Prime. "I believe given the circumstances of the situation as it stands, the fluid nature of the information thus far … its rather sparse and as such the full ramifications of this aren't yet known … I would suggest that Mr. Harris say nothing."
Blackstone leaned in slightly closer. "You are not represented and anything you might say could be to your detriment. I would suggest silence until you have representation. For the purpose of this meeting I volunteer."
Harris stared at the big black attorney who was a legend on world and off. :I would be very happy to seek your advice, Blackstone. Thank you:
"Do you wish to consult?" Blackstone said. "Attorney-client privilege is as important here as anywhere."
:I think I might, sir: Owen said with a slight unaccustomed tone of fluster in his voice.
Blackstone rose, picked Harris up and walked out of the room. The door closed silently.
:Lord Optimus: Carmine Satello said as he rose. :What's happening here?:
"Well," Delphi said with a slight grin as he sat back to lounge in his chair, "you have the right to be silent, what you do and say can and will be used against you."
Snickers rounded the room, then Springer shifted in place. "So you're saying that Owen Harris might have made a mistake? I find that hard to believe."
Grins even from humans were noted when the door opened with Harris and Blackstone returning. Blackstone gently put him back on the table, then sat down. "Lord Optimus, I have been retained by Mr. Harris for primary council and will be so throughout the entirety of any actions or decisions made about the topic at hand."
"Understood, Blackstone," Prime said as he glanced at Owen. "Consider it to your very great benefit that you have someone with the integrity, experience and wisdom such as Blackstone has in abundance representing you, Mr. Harris."
Harris who looked uncharacteristically subdued nodded. "I am."
It was intense in the room as the group gathered listened to the byplay. Something Harris had done had come back to haunt him and the rest of them by association. What one person did in the human community too often reflected back at the rest of them.
"Perhaps we can broach the subject now, Barron," Prime said.
Barron nodded respectfully to Prime. "This morning Ultra Magnus called me to his office in the City Hall Annex in Terra. With him were Caro and Venture who were agitated about some news they'd heard on the news feel from Earth, the business channel regarding something called the Panama Papers.
"I listened with them to it again when it came around on the ticker and found myself in agreement with them, that something egregious had happened that required intervention here by our own legal and criminal apparatus." Barron glanced at Caro. "Please tell what led to this moment, Caro."
Caro looked sick at the attention. "Well, I was getting ready for the meeting, our regular departmental meeting to discuss proliferating our stock portfolio when the news feed ran the story that a document dump of hacked data had revealed a lot of information about some of the wealthiest humans on Earth.
"It would appear that they had taken literally trillions of dollars and moved it through through shell companies and banks, venture capitalists and other nefarious individuals and devices to hide the money to avoid taxes all over the world. It is a cornucopia of tax evasion, bribery and corruption on a monumental scale."
"And that pertains to us how, Caro?" Prime asked gently. "Before you answer, please convey our great happiness to Payload about the rescue of his family. It makes me happier than anything else when this comes to pass for our people."
Caro grinned, near to tears. "I will. Its the most wonderful thing to have his genitors, siblings and their families back again. We have leads on the others. Its so wonderful," he said then noted where he was.
"Anyway," he said wiping at his optics, "its pertinent to us because six of the billionaires in question are part of the governing board of Earth2 and they reside there. We also received confirmation this morning that ten more individuals have arrived who have visas to stay here who are also on the list."
Prowl who was enjoying this unholy moment gazed coolly at Harris who was sitting pensively on his couch. "Is Mr. Harris's name on the list of scofflaws?" he asked.
"No," Caro said almost gratefully. He was NO good at confrontation it would appear.
Prowl who was staring at Harris with a slight smirk said in a soft voice, "More's the pity."
=0=TBC 10-14-2021
ESL
scofflaw(s): a person who flouts the law, especially by falling to comply with a law that is difficult to enforce effectively
The data dump hack is real and so is the information I am creating as well as that which I'm lifting directly from them. The Panama Papers spares no one. How can you hide zillions of dollars in a world like this? What the hell do you do with it?
Huggies, my little angels. -Mama