The Diego Diaries: Yarning (dd8 431)
=0=A bit later
Appa Ratchet sat with his brother holding his servo as Budge lay in recharge on the berth of the private room that would be for both Mystic and Budge until they were transferred the following orn to Central Point Medical Center in Midtown. They were just brought in from recovery with good signs, something that heartened the little mech. He glanced up at Ratchet who was looking at data. "What does it say, Sonny?"
"Its all good, Appa," Ratchet said. "They came through with all the best signs and information."
Ratchet relaxed a bit. "Thanks, Sonny. My brother and Mystic are the best. They deserve the best."
Ratchet kissed his namesake on the helm. "You won't get an argument out of me. I'm going to transfer them in the morning to the hospital in Central Point. I want you to go and be anywhere else but here. I have them programmed to recharge all orn and night. They won't even know you took a break. If you don't you won't be able to help them."
Docker arose. "I agree. Come with me, Ratchet. I'll fix you lunch at our house and we can talk about how we can help them."
With extreme reluctance Ratchet rose, then hugged his grandson with intensity. When he let go he followed Docker hand-in-hand out the door. Chan and Corr who hugged Ratchet, too, followed them.
"What's the best guess you can make about them, son. You can tell us. We'll keep the news between us," Tie said as Ravel nodded in agreement.
"We replaced a lot. It went well. There were signs of control devices on their neural net. They're depleted in every way possible but all went very, very well. They're as neat as a new penny inside. Its going to take a lot of time and care to put them on their peds but its going to be doable, I think. Their mental state is the big one. I can only imagine how they feel about this."
Tie nodded. "Someone somewhere is responsible for this. We need to find them and make them speak to this."
"We will," Ratchet said. "If they're alive they have to stand for this." He hugged both of them. "Go home and rest. The store can wait for tomorrow."
They stared silently at their only child, then Tie nodded tiredly. "We'll be at home with them. Come by when you can, son. It helps Ratchet when you're there because you know things so well."
"I'll come. I have a few things to do but I'll be there. I asked Libby and Trigger to take you around Central Point this afternoon about 1600 joors so all of you can feel good about this. Its a great place to graduate your care until you can live on your own again," Ratchet said as they walked out of the room toward the corridor and the elevator beyond.
"What if they can't, Sonny?" Ravel asked anxiously.
"Then they have a great little town to live in and get all the care they need. You can go there and see them as much as you want," Ratchet said. "We didn't make this place to throw people away. This place is for people to gather." He paused at the elevator. "Go home and rest."
They hugged him, then stepped into the elevator to disappear.
Ratchet stared at the elevator doors, then walked back to the room to recheck the data. It was solid. He then walked out and upward to his office to work and catch up on things.
=0=Ops Center
Prowl stared at the monitor as data swept in on the fast fleet they sent to scan and scour the area where the elders had been found cast away. A Seeker group and heavily armed shuttles were with them hunting for evidence and even the ghost of an individual who may have been missed.
It would be miraculous if they found anyone. The teams from the Knights and Circle, all of Atlas's mechs and femmes knew how to search and their tech rivaled that on Mars, some of which was invented and upgraded there on a regular basis. If there was anything there it was likely already found but they flew onward spread out in a line to deep dive for anyone or anything that would give a clue.
=0=New military base near Tyger Pax and the Tri-Cities
Will Lennox, Niall Graham, Gavin Pritchard, Bobby Epps and Trevor Smith drove into the airlock portion of their entryway, then waited for atmosphere. When the lights turned green on the console, they stepped out and walked to the habitat doors that opened to let those inside greet their arrival.
"Gentlemen, good to see you," Jackson Davis, Commanding, said.
"Good to be here," Will said. "Ratchet got family from the migration and they needed medical attention. We're here to do our part early. This is Gavin Pritchard who's chief of security for the Resort as well as former military and you've met Epps and Graham."
Davis nodded, then shook their hands.
"This is Trevor Smith who's been here a long time," Lennox said. "All but Pritchard are Alpha squad."
Davis nodded, then introduced his two officers, Xiang Hu from China and Ondra Novak from the Czech Republic. They chatted a minute, then Davis led them into the facility toward the biggest briefing room in the building at the other end of the giant concourse.
Sunlight streamed in and the hum of activity gave it the feel of a busy business hub. They chatted all the way across answering questions and pointing out features to be seen outside. When they arrived they entered the theater seating style room where all the soldiers were standing at attention. They reached the front, then Davis told the group to sit.
Standing to one side, Lennox and his group watched as Davis explained to his troops, all 200 of them the change in schedule. Then he turned to Will. "Its all yours." He walked to the front to sit, joined by his two officers.
Will looked at the group of fit men and women, all of them young, all of them riveted by their presence. It was strange seeing someone from the television in real life. "My name is Colonel Will Lennox and these are my officers and friends, Lieutenant Colonel Niall Graham who's from the United Kingdom, Sargent Bobby Epps who's from the US Military as is Sargent Trevor Smith. The last man is Gavin Pritchard who heads security at the Resort of Autobot City and is former UK military.
"We were supposed to come tomorrow with Ambassador Ratchet appearing today but an emergency arose so we swapped times. I'm going to give you the standard lecture. Its designed to keep you alive. Ratchet will do the same and more. He handles the bot side and we take care of the human.
"This is a zero mistake environment which is why you're here. You want to learn to work in it and do so safely and well. Outside these windows is a nearly instantaneous death for those who don't listen, follow the rules or feel lucky. No one is lucky here. Those who do well are prepared and trained. Those who feel lucky are dead."
He considered the solemn-faced individuals before him. "Sometimes soldiers feel invincible. Sometimes they're fed the idea that they're so elite and well trained that they can take shortcuts. Not here. Mars doesn't care what you think about yourself. If you take a shortcut here you will be dead.
"Currently right now its -69 degrees Fahrenheit outside. That's -56.1111 degrees Celsius. You can't survive it for more than a few seconds. The atmosphere, what there is of it is toxic and will destroy you in the worst possible way if you take off your helmet and inhale.
"Radiation is deadly here with the lack of a proper atmosphere to screen it and the wind will freeze you in seconds. When someone who knows this place tells you to do something, to do it their way and do it fast, you do it without question. Nothing you can say will be right because you don't know this place like we do. We're going to teach you.
"You watch the bots come and go without effect. They don't breathe. They don't need to. What few things they have that require a gas are minuscule and they manufacture it themselves on their person. They can handle the cold of vacuum without problem because they can self regulate their bodily temperature. The radiation doesn't bother them either because of their design. They're about the most perfect creatures you're ever going to see.
"The way this works here and I'm including your base and all the personnel into this as well is very simple. You're here to do what you came to do and you will play by the rules. If you don't know you do not and I repeat, DO NOT leave the protection of where you are. You WILL call us at N.E.S.T. for help. We're designated to do so for the entire human community which right now numbers 89,000 or so on world and at the Prima Station. Don't be a dead fool.
"Epps, Graham and I have lived on Mars longer than anyone else. Our families live here, too, and they know their way around. This place is built for us as well and you'll see it everywhere, the accommodations. Our kids use the cabs, school buses and Metros to get around, often without us. They understand, follow the rules and have experience. You don't.
"I can send you home without a reason. I'm the formal commandant of the human community chosen in the contracts, leases, agreements and treaties with the bots by Optimus Prime. I can say pack it up and you don't have to know why. I can ban you from Autobot territory and never give you a reason. I would rather send you packing than attend your funeral."
The audience listened silently, taking in the information as Lennox expressed it. The other three with him looked as solemn as they felt even as they were seeking in their demeanor anyone who might be trouble.
"The bots here have been through hell, most of them and too many of them don't know where their family and friends are. Too many of them saw their loved ones die in front of them. Some of them came here deathly ill or wounded, too many of them children and elderly. Its an amazing place but the people here, they're the best part.
"Almost every mech and many of the femmes you'll see are carrying a weapon or many somewhere on their bodies or in their subspace, an energetic pocket they can create in their own energy fields. Don't ask me how. Just know they can. You need to be aware that this is so and then assume that everyone packs guns. This is a heroic society and they don't intend to be caught flat footed again.
"Even though every bot here is a Cybertronian and all of them are one in their unity, you're going to see many different kinds of mechs and femmes who are generally grouped by their frame or size. Their form. Some of them are small and even tiny. Those are the mini-con and micro mini individuals. They work inside habitats because their size permits it. They're living beings who will be treated with the utmost respect. Abusing them gets you banned for life.
"The bigger mechs range from 20-40 feet in root mode depending on who they are. The biggest mechs and femmes live in the hangar district on the other side of the airfield. The Supremes are up to 600-800 feet tall."
Whistles greeted that. A hand went up.
"Yes?"
"Can we go there to see them?" a soldier in the audience asked.
Lennox grinned. "You can eventually. If they aren't there we can always pay Grimlock a visit."
Laughter was long and loud.'
They would.
=0=TBC 5-9-2022
NOTE:
JackalKat: Its highly likely having fifteen or so gangs here. Then there's the corrupt business men coming once in a while. The hunt will be taken into hand.
Human trafficking is the worst thing ever. A man came into my sister's store a couple of years ago and tried to sell me a bracelet. I talked to him like an idiot while he sort of explained about his 'school' and how they 'didn't do education', they just taught their students 'how to act'. I felt a sickly strange vibe and later on a bulletin was sent out that traffickers were in town and to call if you see their white car. It was too late to do that for me but I'll never forget what it felt like being that close to that much evil. If felt like a sickening cloud around him.
Take care, too, my friend.
