The Diego Diaries: Moving On (dd8 308)

Note: Last night it was eleven degrees during the day and about seven at night. That's a 20 degree difference which in this cold is powerful stuff. It always knocks me down. So, here we go. (I remember one spring when it was nearly -40 degrees below zero and by noon it was over 40 degrees above, an 80 degree shift. The change was so huge that the bark on trees exploded when it warmed up. Weirdest thing ever but that makes you so sleepy its unbelievable.)

=0=Around the colony

Earth1 listened to the announcements from Prime along with Unidad, Hu-An Nation, Earth2, The Resort, Sciences and The Family. It was for them alone that he was speaking.

:Good mid day. I am Optimus Prime: said the voice.

It was audio minus images. It came through the speakers of the shelters and everyone stilled to listen.

:I am asking you to listen and understand the new restrictions that will be in place for a while so that the colony can ensure your safety. As you know, we were attacked by a renegade Decepticon armada led by two phase six mechanisms who were skilled, determined and ruthless in their efforts to overtake this colony and make it their own. They bridged in from the area in which they were traveling, appearing in the solar system in the space between Uranus and Neptune.

:A very large Autobot force of airmen, soldiers of the army, marines and specialist Home Guardsmen met them and before combat could begin in earnest after efforts to get them to leave failed, they bridged once again to Mars. There is nothing too special about their technology other than its speed which is being studied by scientists here.

:What was inevitable was the damage that was inflicted upon our colony. They had no possibility of winning this battle. All they could do was try, create havoc, then flee which they did. It was also inevitable that there would be a lot of destruction to things that make your life what it is. I will give you now the preliminary overall report on what has happened to the colony.

:We engaged over the planet and on the ground. In the air over the Monastery and The Resort, Master Cyclonus, some of his monks and a number of units of the Air Force protected the Monastery of the Clavis Aurea, the Resort of Autobot City and Aerie Hill. Its highly likely that those of you at The Resort heard it happening overhead. They were valiant in keeping you all safe and they succeeded.

:We forced the armada away from the cities because if their ships went down in the barrage it would take out buildings and perhaps make it difficult to move you out of the shelters. They were forced toward the Industrial Park Cities over the plain between us and them so that the metrotitans nearby could transform their towers and shoot them. The plan was to make them leave and it worked, though five of their ships fell to the ground and crashed.

:The damage to the cities is spotty given the amount of aerial combat that was engaged fortunately. Some fighters crashed into towers which are being repaired right now. Those who live there will be assisted toward a full refit of their homes.

:A shuttle was shot down in Terra and crashed landed into the lobby of Sparkling Day School. That tower is out of commission until the colonial engineers ensure its safe and the repairs needed are made. Full Circle, the flagship business of the Guiding Hand and Circle of Light was destroyed as well, burning to the ground before help could arrive.

:On the plain between the colony habitation zones and Industrial Park Cities are the burned and downed vessels of the enemy that were destroyed by the metrotitans. They include a cruiser, a fighter transport and three shuttles of a large battle configuration. The rest of the armada made it into space and bridged away under heavy attack.

:Not only are those ships problematic for all of us lying where they are, they also destroyed vital infrastructure when they crashed. The Main Train Depot for the overland and underground train system is destroyed. A large portion of track is destroyed as well. Several Metro stations including the one under Sparkling Day School are destroyed along with a lot of tunnels that thread through the colony and across the plain.

:All of that will have to be replaced and repaired before regular travel can be fully restored. Some lines are still in good order and they will be posted in The Community Bulletin Board files under 'Emergency Transportation Alerts'.

:No one at the Habitats on Habitat Highway is allowed to travel outside of the facilities without special permission from my office. You are remanded to your building until things are restored. The entire transportation grid must be investigated and signed off for return to service.

:The Old City downtown has taken considerable damage and is off limits to those without permission. IntraCom was heavily damaged, the Military Airfield which they overran, the Commercial Hub District, The Pit Stop which was destroyed, a number of buildings further into town who took bullets and shrapnel in street fighting and The Fortress have damage as well, though its very slight there.

:They were able to penetrate the Central Labor Hall District and make their way to The Fortress but were held off by soldiers and marines. All of our armories, almost all homes and businesses were spared through it may be up to the locals to report anything that we may have missed. We are currently going block-by-block in every city taking a survey of the damage that might be there as well as tracking armaments and ordinance.

:The fighting was brutal but we did not have fatalities. All of our personnel from soldiers, airmen, marines, policing forces and Home Guard showed themselves to be valiant and brave. I commend them from my spark. They saved us again and we need to be mindful of their sacrifices.

:I am declaring a state of heightened emergency until we have a handle on the damage, retrieve all ordinance that may be lying around and raise the vessels from the plain. It was also true that the energon grid to Crater Districts 4,5,7 and 8 was destroyed by falling ships and that it caused the system to malfunction resulting in the destruction of the Consulate itself. No one was harmed and all of them are currently residing at Unidad for the time being.

:The electrical grid is out in half the colony due to substation damage but all of it is going to be repaired as a priority item. The schedule of supply for the colony for the next three or so days will be posted in the same files in The Community Bulletin Board. Check there to find out what hours you get priority before someone else gets cut in.

:I am going to allow you to return to your homes inside the habitats. You will find damage that we left for you to sort out. The integrity of the facilities is guaranteed after a thorough inspection and repair. You will find that some of the damage is more distressing than others. The Chapel in the Trees was one of the victims of their vandalism. In time its all going to be restored.

:Until then we expect and wish for you to obey the rules, obey the news blackout with Earth and stay in your habitat. Obey the rules and instructions of your security teams, administrators and the Watch. We are still working to get our people out of their shelters but it will take time. For now, you are released to your homes and worksites. Obey and respect the rules and your teams. They have everyone's best interests in mind during these trying next few days. Until all are one. Optimus Prime, out."

It was deathly silent in the shelter where the mercenaries, Cindy Tomas and the rest of the leadership of Earth2 along with a large number of residents and bots were listening.

She stood, then looked at everyone. "We are free to go but we must be mindful that this is a terrible event not just for the Cybertronian people here but for us as well. I had no idea that the Consulate was destroyed and there will be problems for the people to get on with their lives.

"Make sure that everyone understands what Lord Optimus said. Anyone who can't obey the few rules he gave will be arrested. I won't have it any other way," she said firmly. Turning to the crew, she glanced around. "Let's go up orderly. Take your things and especially the pets. I want you to know that the farm is off limits but for the handlers until I get a chance to see things." She glanced at the security team, then walked to the door. "Let's go up then."

It would take a bit of time for them to go upward, the horde that lived here and it would be shocking to see the damage. The offices had been ransacked but the structural damage was repaired with the help of the titan, Parabolus. No one knew that who stared around, even Cindy Tomas, but it would help all of the sentient habitats to be made whole.

The Chapel in the Woods would require human and bot intervention. It was built outside of the help of Parabolus, though that gentleman considered it a masterpiece and a welcome inclusion into his domain. He would place the plans of it in his personal transformational files.

=0=Earth 1

Brandon and Suzy Clark greeted everyone as they came up out of the shelters. It was shocking to see the damage but it wouldn't take much time to clear the concourse area which seemed the affected area of each habitat. Nothing else was touched here which was highly welcomed. Also, the idea that everything they had created and devised was saved on their sector of Teletraan gave great comfort.

Children stared solemnly around as they huddled together, amazed that war had touched them and they'd lived. It had come home to everyone there the life that The People had endured. For most of them it was a brand new experience.

A shout caught everyone's attention as the huge monitors of the main lounge came on, then all the others around the huge area where they were gathered. It was the rotating images of the colony playing on the screen and it showed all of the problems facing their return to normal. It also showed the destruction.

They were silent as they watched the cameras show the great once pristine plain littered with fallen ships, the towers of the cities some of which were damaged by fighting and crashes, the workers scurrying here and there, the burned out Consulate, the destruction across the plain from the pipeline exploding, damage across the face of Autobot City and worst of all, the sorrowful oblivion of the tower where Optimus Prime himself had once lived.

It was a silent group who watched.

=0=The Family Tower

Judy and the women along with Ron and some of the men got permission to go to The Resort. A platoon would escort them as ordinance was laying all over the place in the old city. They gathered, geared up, then want up to the floor exit where a group of heavily armed mechs were waiting for them. They would take a while to get to The Resort but when they did the doors would open for their guests, too.

Will Lennox walked to his office on the floor along with a good dozen men and women, then sat. Calling up Morshower, he waited, then the General appeared. "Hello, General. We just got the all clear to go up."

"What's the sit-rep, William?" Morshower asked as he sat in a group of men and women who were his inner circle and staff.

"Well, to start with … N.E.S.T. here is toast," William began grimly.

=0=TBC 11-23-2021

ordinance: ammunition. (or-dih-nuns)