The Diego Diaries: Taking Stock (dd8 391)

=0=The Fortress

Barron sat in the conference room for the upcoming committee meeting after briefing Prime on the problem with the humans who were indicted for financial and other crimes on Earth who lived at Earth2. The preliminary stuff was going on in the courts of Earth, then it would appear that an extradition hearing would probably be called for. They had gone over what that meant in light of their treaties and agreements, then their own legal and moral obligations and possibilities. It was complex and convoluted. Nothing would be settled until Earth made known what they wanted done.

He walked into the conference room and waited as others began to show up. Neo walked up to him and sat. "Hello, Neo. How are you? I haven't seen you in a while."

"It's been a while, Barron. Laret and I are planning a dinner party for Second Saturday and hope you and Alto can come. Its going to be informal with good food and wine. We hope you can come."

"We'd love to," Barron replied. He loved their parties, they were such an eclectic mix of interesting people and food. "What time?"

"1800 on the TMC," Neo said as a number of big mechs from the guilds and unions began to walk in with plates and cups in servo.

They towered over the pair, these mechs whose genius and brawn drove the building and construction of this world and Cybertron. They were good natured and happy about a thing that had been straightened out at the south pole of Cybertron, something complicated and electrical. They sat and chatted about it as priests and Lady Sela showed up.

"Sela," Neo said. "How's things at the school?"

"Glorious," Sela said as she sat. "The students are flying through the curriculum and our little storm cloud has relaxed into the swing of things."

Everyone knew that Halo was the aforementioned child from comments from the Good of the Order.

"That's wonderful," Neo said as Venture, Caro and Sam Witwicky came in.

Sam was set on the table as Venture and Caro sat in their usual places at the end of the table.

Neo and Sela rose to get chairs to place them on the table along with small couches for all the others coming. Humans would be coming and they would hear the meeting up there. A buzz outside the door indicated that more were arriving.

:Thank you, ladies: Sam said as he sat. He would be here for Carly as well given that she was busy with a conference of energy companies who were here to learn about solar collecting from stars. They were staying at Unidad while they did.

More came, soldiers, civilians and a few doing double duties such as Springer and Drift. Hercy and Kup came along with Ironhide, most of Ironhide's family, their cows and Ratchet. They sat with food and drink waiting for Granny to bring the agendas.

Down on the floor the humans were coming in earnest. Earth 1 and the Consulate arrived, their reps climbing the stairs to the tabletop, then walking past slaggers giving guff to their seats. The soldiers weren't here yet but all the habitats were represented but the Hu-An who were having a religious retreat for the full decaorn. Neo would be representing them for the meeting.

Jazz and Mirage followed by the femmes and Jetta walked in to take their seats along a wall. Mack hurried in as well to sit beside his brother.

Wheeljack and Perceptor entered followed by Ultra Magnus, Chromia and Maelstrom. They found a place to sit and chatted together while they waited.

More and more came, then Prowl followed by Prime. When they sat everyone was present or on screen. Even the Seekers who were preoccupied with helping families get back together joined them.

"We have an agenda to get through so let's begin. Magnus?" Prowl asked.

"The big news is that Crater District Nine is finished and the next three will be scouted. They aren't going to situated in depressions like the others, thus the name will change. We're surveying the open space west of Seven Cities-West for three more giant developments to hold in reserve. We're still sending residents to Crater District 8. Nine is being held as well and will be our back up until the first of the new designs are completed.

"We receive over 15,000 new citizens every two orns through the Port. The Knights and the Network are moving out camps to bring in new refugees for treatment and rest before sending them on to us. There will be a lull for three orns before the stream picks up again. There's a sun anomaly going on at their camps closest to the Benzuli which is necessitating them moving their operation.

"The refugees already there will be sent here, then the camps moved before their new clients are flown in. They're clearing the areas throughout the Benzuli near the Ruins and down toward the Dead Zone in case marauders come through there again.

"The damage that was sustained by the attack by Paladin has mostly been repaired and cosmetically restored. The Train Hub is nearly completed and will be expanded with more amenities and better work shops for the crews who maintain our rolling stock. That includes both the overland and underground commercial freight system and civilian transport lines of the Metro. The track is fully restored not just in the colony but on the TransWorld Highway system where the trains run worldwide.

"The Consulate was signed off yesterday by the Prime and the residents there will be moving from Unidad to their new consulate over the next two orns. The residents have been there to learn the improved facility and it will be back in contact directly with Earth in one orn.

"There are a number of plans for business expansion and energon facilities including storage that will be taken up at the Planning Commission meeting on Second Wednesday. I will tell you what they are and how it went when I have more information. Fortress Maximus can be contacted for more information himself.

"All-in-all, we're getting there," Magnus said as he sat back.

"Thank you, Magnus. That is good to know," Optimus said.

"Venture?" Prowl asked.

The breakdown of the finances of the colony and its many other places was as tedious as ever and the addition of Caro with his reasoned and ultra dull discourses on their money doing this and that didn't break up the boredom. No one, of course, let anyone know.

"Thank you, Venture and Caro," Prowl said as the two sat.

"Wheeljack? We would like to know the status on the Triggers if you can as well as your report," Prowl said.

"The Triggers are going as fast as Triggers can go. We're improving this and that, especially energy consumption so that we only have to refuel them half the number of times as before. That's going to be good so we don't have to shut down the colony as much while the geo bridge refuels them.

"Nothing was saved from the originals and the other two are still on station assisting in the projects related to moving Cybertron. Unless things become dire they're going to stay there a bit longer. These Triggers are stationed at the Ceres Space Port and the Saturn Shipyard ordinarily.

"The Autobot City Space Bridge is up to snuff. The guidance system destroyed by the invaders has been repaired and placed in a hardened bunker on Phobos. It should be harder to destroy this way and the satellite systems around Mars assist in its efforts as well. Slow but sure we get things into better situations."

Prowl nodded. "Its going to be good getting them back. It makes provisioning the Space Station out on the arm harder."

"We have it as a priority item," Perceptor said.

"Good," Prowl replied. He glanced at Ratchet. "Report?"

"Sure," he said to snickers around the room. "The overall health of the colony is sound. We just finished the school physicals of all of our thousands of children and found that overall they were progressing toward more optimal health than factored into the long term health plans for them as a group. The food that they receive both at home and at school is a big factor in their return to something more normal.

"Our elders are moving into the Central Point development and affording a better quality of life for themselves as well as their families. The little femme and mech who got lost just found themselves a placement there. They're in the hospital with advanced Cache's Disease and Level 6 dementia. The prognosis is pretty good now that they're in a situation where exhausted anxious family aren't caring for them. All hail Paragon for this, I might add."

Everyone did.

"Our usual run of stabbings are all getting on their peds and a shooting that happened is still in the ICU but the prognosis is for full recovery. Given the level of baggage we bring here this is small stuff overall. The situation in Cybertron is also rising but that place has a way to go yet. Overall, everything is doing well."

Department after department gave their reports and soon it was time for the humans.

Lennox stood. :I don't know what's going on with the Panama Papers mess. No one has sent to me anything about the colonists who are named yet. I'm assuming that this will stand until you know, too. If you can give me a heads up I'll be able to do more about this, Optimus:

Optimus glanced at Barron, then Lennox. "We are still waiting for news from Earth about how they want to proceed. Until then, we do not plan to make any moves. Our position depends on what the authorities involved want to do."

:Thanks. I'd like to thank Beachcomber for okaying the new area for us to train in. Rappelling down those slopes in differing conditions is going to be interesting. The melt off is starting now and working on unstable surfaces in extremes is part of the new training we've worked out for places like Io. Thank you for hearing our proposal and okaying it with him: Lennox replied.

"It is our pleasure, William. I will be talking to you about the habitat for the multinational military proposal. I would like your input into their plan, you and General Morshower. I will have Prowl let you know when that could happen," Optimus said. "We are going to be on Cybertron for a while and the schedule is tight."

:We can be there, or I can for both of us, Optimus: Lennox said as he sat. :Just call us:

"I will," Prowl said. "Having 200 more soldiers on world will be strange at best."

Snickers were had.

"The Resort?" Prowl asked.

Judy Witwicky rose. :We usually have very mellow groups of visitors but there has been a few fights lately by people who are bringing their spats from Earth to here. We understand how that can be hard but the Resort is a getaway from the shit on Earth for our guests. Gavin Pritchard has been busy taking care of that.

:We've had a few medical scares and have decided to look into proposing a medical clinic and a couple of doctors and nurses hired to run it. The medical response from the Earth habitats and N.E.S.T. is fast but the time lag still exists. When you're having a heart attack time is of the essence.

:All-in-all, we're doing well. In June Father's Day rolls around and we're going to have our second Annual Father-Son Golf Tournament for charity for Earth projects. We expect that the usual will be there and that the Cybertronian rules will be in full effect: She sat to general laughter as the last report to be given.

Prime sat back with a grin. "I plan to be there with perhaps a new rule or two myself."

"DON'T COUNT ON ME!" Ironhide said.

"I will," Raptor replied with a chuckle. "I'll trade you for little mech," he asked his son.

"Done deal," Blackjack said as he grinned at his son.

"FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG!" -Ironhide

=0=TBC 3-17-2022