The Diego Diaries: Avalone and Other Stuff (dd8 285)
=0=Saturn Shipyard, Sol System
He was hunched over a console working furiously as they walked onto the command deck of the station proper. Pausing to watch, Prime, Prowl and Ironhide noted that outside the giant windows nearby the most battered metrotitan they ever saw that wasn't a dead pile of debris floated in a huge enclosed work structure that would be the repair station of his resurrection.
Ratchet finally hit send, then noticed them. "We got here in one piece, now we have to put them back together."
"What's the outlook?" Prowl asked as he bit the bullet.
"Fifty-fifty so far," Ratchet said. "We got the node that regulates their clarity and overall sentience. Its intact. What we have to do now is run the diagnostics, find the boo-boos and fix them. Only when that's done will I sedate the main body then walk him up slowly. Very slowly … he could flail and beat himself to death otherwise."
"What's the timeline on this. I just received word that Banner is at the Temple. Apparently, somehow, he heard Avalone's name over their bond link," Prowl said.
"Oh frag. I have to plug that hole," Ratchet said as he turned back to the console, typed in more data, then hit send. "There. Its muted but not to the point where Banner will be afraid."
"That's a mercy. When do you suppose he'll be sentient enough that we can tell Banner about this?" Prowl asked.
"Not yet," Ratchet said. "Give it a few joors, then I'll make the assessment."
It would be quiet on the deck as Ratchet and his team worked.
=0=Inside the behemoth
Jetta watched as big mechs cold welded wires and panels of different materials together at a critical junction for Avalone's communications systems both within the ship and to others. There was so much fuel lying around they didn't dare use heat to do the work.
Down the corridors and along the ship in every major area there were big frame experts peering into every crevasse and dark hole to find the story on this ship, one that was in as bad a shape as any received at the yard. It would be busy for about several joors, then they would gather on the bridge with Ratchet, Jetta and Hammer of Primus who would help them with the specifics that only titans knew to part out the work. It was going to take a very long time to get this mech's frame back to specs. Given that Avalone and Banner were pre-Golden Age titans, the work would have to be very, very specific and detailed. There was no room to cut corners with them.
=0=Administration Module, E2
William Daniels wiped his eyes with a handkerchief, then looked at Drift. "We were wrong. I know I can admit it. I don't know about any of the rest of you but I was. I wish more than anything else that Katie were here. I just want to tell her I love her and that I'm so ashamed and sorry about how I never put her first."
James stared at his father, then the floor. "I'm tired."
Lennox glanced at Drift who was staring at them. He hadn't a clue what to do now or say. It was disconcerting to hear this kind of commentary coming from people he'd hated for so long.
"What do you want now? Any of you?" Drift glanced at Jase Daniels. "You haven't said much. What do you want?"
"I want …" Jase Daniels thought a moment. "I want to stay here. I work at a job that's okay. I like it here. That's about it. I don't think ahead too far. There's no future in it."
"What about you, Galloway? You haven't said a word," Gavin Pritchard asked. He'd heard all the stories and how loathed this man was among those who dealt with him on Diego.
Ted Galloway who was staring at everyone as they came apart hadn't made a sound. He was watching them with an unsettled expression but seemed to want to shrink into the floor. "I don't have anything to say."
"Do you want to go back to Earth? What about it?" Springer asked.
Galloway glanced at Springer, a mech he hated. It was a mutual hatred he knew. "This is as good a place as any. My wife likes it. I don't have a problem being here. Is Prime going to kick us out?"
Everyone glanced at Springer, then Lennox.
Springer shrugged. "Prime isn't you. He'd have to have good reason."
William Daniels sat forward to sip water placed in front of him by Niall Graham. "I want to stay here. I don't have a home without Katie but this place is a place she would love. I want to stay where she would be happy."
Lennox felt a twinge of compassion rip through him as he stared at the old man, someone so powerful once upon a time that a mere glance from him could stop any legislation or bill in Congress from becoming a law no matter who or how many wanted it to be one. He looked like a sad powerless old man.
"Sensei won't do anything that isn't honorable. If you don't know that about Optimus Prime now you never will," Drift said. "He's the best of us, the best of any of us anywhere. Learn that and you'll get us."
A rap on the door nearby drew their attention to a solemn-faced pensive Owen Harris. He stood in a group of mercenaries and friends, Pierre Beliveau and Andre Boudin among them.
Springer waved them inside, so he entered followed by the other two men.
Owen glanced here and there, then turned to Springer. "Am I intruding?"
"No, actually. I'm curious about a few things and I want to know if you can be as honest as these guys were," Drift asked. "They were very honest with us."
Owen glanced at the civilians sitting in chairs, the soldiers scattered around the big ante room and the two mechs in pretender gear. "What questions?"
"We asked these guys what they really thought about us as a people," Springer said. "We told them it was good and safe to give their truthful answers. We want to hear yours, too, Harris. It might be interesting in light of things now."
Harris stared at them, then glanced at his two great and good friends. "I've always liked this place and your people fascinate me. I know its an honor to be here. I've tried to do my best to live up to that. I don't know if you believe me but that's what I feel."
"I believe from our conversations together, Drift, that you know what I feel about this place and your people," Andre Boudin said in his lovely French accent.
Pierre Beliveau nodded. "And I as well," he said in his.
"This isn't going to be a good outcome for some of you," Springer said. "If Prime decides to make someone else director of this place you have no legal standing to oppose him. As for the others … this is going to be a shit show anyway." He grinned faintly. "Don't expect a lot of support and sympathy for them among our people. We don't have a good opinion on this sort of thing given all things being equal."
Harris nodded. "I know. I just hope that you notice all of us are not on the list. That sort of thing is stupid and self defeating."
"But lucrative," Springer replied.
Harris shrugged. "Some think so. I prefer to have my money doing something. I wouldn't be here otherwise." He turned toward Lennox who was watching him without comment. "So what now? Am I locked out of here, too?"
Lennox nodded. "You are. You two," he said nodding to the other two men with Harris, "can some in here with real purposes. You can't hang out and if I hear that anyone anywhere here is undermining or spying on Cindy I'll arrest you for obstruction and let the courts figure it out. Either way, I'll also ban you for life."
Harris nodded. "Fair enough."
Lennox turned toward Springer. "Anything else needed or are we good here?"
Springer shook his head. "No. Things are set up to go forward now. I would suggest that the mercs be put on a short leash. I'd love to arrest them and put them in the gerbil cages. Make it happen, Harris. It would appear they're yours."
"There will be no problems here," Harris replied.
"Good thing. I might just save everyone the trouble and ban the lot of you off world forever," Lennox said quietly as he rose to leave. "I can and I will." He glanced at the others. "Let's go. Prime wants to have us at the Ops Center for a meet up over a ship he wants us to know about." He glanced around himself, then hesitated. "Mr. Daniels, are you going to be alright?" he found himself asking.
"Who knows?" William Daniels said as he sat back in the comfortable chair. "I suppose we continue with our work then?"
Springer nodded. "Yes," he replied. "I'm also going to ask Lennox to get you in touch with the counselor who handles the human community here. All of you could use a break. I can't believe I'm saying that but there it is," he said with a slight grin. He glanced at Drift who was smirking at him. "You ready to go? We gotta get Tell from Turbine or he's never coming home again." He nodded to the others and began to walk to the door.
Drift stood, then turned to the Daniels, Nast and Galloway. "There's nothing wrong with feeling what you feel. Just don't let it be the only feelings you have. Someone once said, 'after the rain, the birds sing'. Think about it." He began to follow Springer.
Lennox glanced at the Daniels, Galloway and Nast. "Check your emails today. I'll put the name and number in. Cassor is the therapist and he has two others who can help. They're intensely trained in the human condition. I highly personally recommend them." With that, he walked out the door with Epps, Pritchard, Ron Witwicky and Niall Graham behind him.
It was silent in the room, then William Daniels stood. "I have work to do." With that, he walked out of the room as well. James Daniels followed along with a silent Nast.
Harris watched them go, then turned to Galloway. "What was that all about?"
Galloway who was an unemotional egoic personality shrugged. "Confessional time, I guess."
Harris would find out nothing from Ted Galloway.
=0=Saturn Shipyard, in the outer most orbit of Saturn, Sol System
He worked feverishly, then sat at the console to wait. Ratchet had sent a message for Avalone to wake up but by doing so he'd also disabled his ability to move more than marginally. It'd be anyone's guess who would emerge, the gentleman scholar or the damaged mech who was suicidal and hurt.
They'd gathered, titans who'd been called to come and they did in pretender gear. Banner was in the Temple being comforted by the priests and Lady Sela. They would come with him if it was possible for Banner to see Avalone at the moment. Right now, the room full of titans and mechs, senior Autobots all, waited. It was all they could do at the moment.
A rumble jolted them.
Ratchet sat forward, then typed furiously. Plugging in, he typed some more. In his metallic voice over the ship's intracom he gave orders and met them with code. The ship settled immediately.
"What's happening, Ratchet?" Metroplex asked with grave concern.
=0=TBC 10-25-2021
ESL
egoic: (eeeee-go-ik) someone who is very defined by their ego, usually to a bad end. A person so in love with themselves that they define the rest of the world through that point of view.
cold welding: Cold welding or contact welding is a solid-state welding process in which joining takes place without fusion or heating at the interface of the two parts to be welded. Unlike in fusion welding, no liquid or molten phase is present in the joint. Cold welding can ensure fast and strong joins in wires and is commonly used with aluminum, 70/30 brass, copper, gold, nickel, silver, silver alloys, and zinc. Cold welding is also good for joining dissimilar metals that can otherwise be difficult to weld effectively.
Just so you know. It pays to work in a hardware shop. :D This kind of welding makes very super strong welds without the mess of heat.
