The Diego Diaries: More to Come (dd8 487)
(Sorry. Cat got into the catnip. Seriously. The kitten when she did was nuts and howling for two weeks after.)
=0=On another high caste ship
"Is there any further questions?" Springer asked as Prime stood in the doorway nearby almost radioactive in his fury.
The group on the ship, mixed families and friends of all ages stared at him, then Springer.
"We want to know the disposition of high castes in the colony," a big mech asked. For some reason he felt 'legal' to everyone, like a government bureaucrat or lawyer.
"I'd tell you but they don't exist," Springer replied. "That slag is a relic of the past and isn't coming back. It'd do you a lot of good to remember that."
"So you say," the mech replied.
Prime stepped from the doorway and crossed the room. As he did the mech moved back, startled by Prime's actions. When he bumped into the wall, Prime pinned him, their nose structures nearly touching. "What part of 'no' do you not understand?"
Springer stared at Prime noting the heat rising from his armor from the intensity of his fury. Drift stood near a couple of younger mechs from the group who looked afraid.
"What part of 'no' do YOU not understand, Prime?" the mech finally managed.
Prime gripped his arm and tossed him toward the door. "Put him in jail. Charges will follow."
"So tell me, Prime, how different you are from anyone else in your place," the mech shouted.
Prime turned toward him nearly glistening with fury. "You are not lying dead in an alley, slagger. You have a chance to defend yourself in a court." He nodded to Sunstreaker who dragged the big mech out of the room. He turned back to the group watching him with some concern. "I will not be speaking to you about this again. Do you UNDERSTAND?"
They stared at him, then a femme nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Good," Prime said, then he walked out of the lounge heading for the shuttle sitting outside. He walked into it, then things froze. Glancing around, he saw Kudon standing nearby with a pensive expression on his face. "Kudon."
"This is very difficult but its at a pivotal time," Kudon said. "Don't worry about 'tough love', Optimus. The starting point of truth and the right path is never easy for anyone."
Prime sat. "I foresee caste courts from here to eternity."
Kudon sat down next to him. "That's not such a bad prospect. Broadcast them to everyone. Have everyone hear the arguments. Its a thing that affects every single individual."
"You do not foresee them having difficulty living in the colony following that?" Optimus asked.
"I foresee many things, Optimus. I foresee this problem lasting a while. Not everyone has been informed. I also foresee you winning in the end. Don't despair. In the end its going to be okay," Kudon said.
"I do not know when that arrives but I am looking forward to it," Prime said.
"None of them know any better. This is what they know and its been so forever. Even the Diaspora has only budged them this much. There is no stomach for this on world. The People are with you. They won't allow this to happen again," Kudon said.
"It is my dream," Prime replied as the rest of the mechs who weren't aware of being frozen in space for a second jumped from the ship to his shuttle.
"We're good to go," Springer said. "If you want to take a break we can handle it."
Prime considered that, then rose. "I will message you on the Decepticons needed to be picked up. You are in charge of this group. Do what you must. I will support you." With that, he walked to the door, caught hold of a Seeker waiting there and flew off into the darkness and chaos outside.
"Prime's madder than I've ever seen him," Sideswipe said as the shuttle began to move onward.
"I've seen him madder but not for a very long time," Springer said as their ship slid into the masses heading for four more nearby. A jail ship would follow them.
=0=At the colony on the ground
The group incoming from the migration landed nearby on the Port of Mars Airfield and were met by officials who formed them into lines to walk to the buildings beyond where they would get their citizenship restored and the pathway to a better future laid out.
Also waiting for them were a lot of individuals who'd gotten alerts that family and friends were arriving. They were here to assist and help them find their way forward. Every now and again in a line someone would shout. Families were restored every orn in the big center either from the bridges or ships landing nearby.
Waiting also among those who were expectant for someone was Callo and his friends. Many were the individuals that were arriving in this group, high castes from the neighborhood and family. They watched as the lines wove onward. The energy field of their fellows would alert them to which one they were in. For now, they stood together talking and waiting.
At another facility some distance away ...
They stepped out and walked to the lines where they were directed. None of them were happy nor very cooperative, though they were united on the way here that they wouldn't add to their offenses list. They were just rude and grim about compliance. None of them had ever been arrested before.
Arrests were for plebes apparently.
Gee-Gee stood next to one of her subordinate assistant wardens, Coleus. "Looks like hot times in the old town tonight, Coli."
Coleus grinned. "I'm rather fond of these kinds of prisoners. They're rather funny to me."
Gee-Gee grinned. "I know. I wonder how many of them are going to be killed smarting off to someone. I don't have a lot of hope but I'll say this is the biggest collection of individuals charged with treason I've ever had at one time."
Coleus grinned. "First time for everything, G."
She nodded as she watched the surly prisoners form up and wait for her to lower the boom.
=0=Ratchet
He walked through the wards checking this and that on Camber. He was holding a lot of those who came with nothing and suffered for it, so fast had they been forced to evacuate. Doctors and nurses, aides, certified nursing assistants and CNAs were busy as bird dogs hurrying through the patients as they were settled in for care.
Their families were with them, especially the children and elderly. Ratchet spent time inspecting them, chatting with the families, getting them settled and explaining the processes ahead. It would be a very busy time on the hospital ships as the smallest of small dents began to be seen being made in the massive light show before them.
=0=Back home
"I heard that a lot, and I mean a lot of high castes are in this one," Bon said as he helped Rampage carry trays to the ovens. They were filled with 'bread', 'cookies', 'fruit pastries' and 'pies'.
The Energon Basket as well as their other bakeries were inundated with newcomers who couldn't believe that money wasn't needed. Their tendency to test that by asking for large quantities of things they could only dream of before made the shifts large and busy in the back of the many bakeries they owned.
"I did, too," Rampage said as he took trays from Bon to slide into the oven. "Just what we didn't need. More fraggers."
"Prime banned their system but they won't give up. I heard that they're arresting them in the migration."
"Maybe we need a former high caste association who makes them run gauntlets when they don't comply with the new way," Rampage said with a grin. "I'm glad I never had to. I might have liked it."
Bon grinned. "I wouldn't doubt it."
They worked busily here as all over the colony in their regional baking centers, kitchen businesses, bakeries and restaurants, The People, some of them, got the first taste of good food they'd ever had in their lives.
=0=City Hall
They came in, several highly polished specimens of former high castes. They were here to put in their applications for work in the administration of the colony and the larger government of the Delegate Assembly. They were former politicians, mechs who'd been elected through the corrupted process on Cybertron to lead their local area representation in the Senate.
None of them were especially well known. Most individuals in most places couldn't pick their representatives out of a line up. These would be no exception. They walked to the desk, then gathered together.
Tia of Altihex who was a desk attendant, a very fine femme and a new mom walked up to them. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," one of them said. "We would like to leave our applications, then speak to our friend, Venture of Praxus." He held out his disk that had their applications.
Tia took it, then slotted it into her computer. She added the information, then withdrew it. Handing it back, she smiled. "There you go. As for Venture, he works in Terra now at the City Hall Annex that's on First and Main Street. You can get there by going to the metro outside, Metro 1, then taking the Circle Line to Terra Metro Station 1. Get off there and go upward. After that, you can't miss the building."
They nodded, then walked back out to do so. They'd be in Terra in no time.
=0=Shortly later in Terra
Venture looked up as his administrative assistant and secretary peered into his huge sun filled office. "Venture, there's several mechs here who say they were friends during your life in Praxus. They'd like to speak to you. They just got in with the migration."
Venture considered that. "Who are they, Darlie?" he asked.
Darlie stepped in and closed the door slightly. "Some mechs named Tile, Pardon and Medium. All of them were from Praxus and they know you personally."
Venture sat back feeling the burn. One of them was the son of a former 'cousin', that is someone that was bonded into his family but because of DEEP INCAPABILITY had separated, then 'divorced' his cousin.
To the enormous relief of EVERYONE in the family, of course. Dynastic bonds were a crap shoot.
Venture considered the problem of them, then nodded to Darlie. "Send them in, Darlie, but call me out of here in a breem if you don't get a call to cancel this request. The usual signal," he said with a slight grin.
She nodded back with her own, then stepped back out. The door opened further as three mechs stepped into the room. They were big, well made, had exquisite paint schemes and looked bold, smart and confident.
Venture stood, greeted them, then all sat.
Medium, the former cousin glanced around. "This is nice, Ven. You did well for yourself here." He stared at Venture. "We want to find our places, too. What can you do to help us figure this out and do so?"
Venture considered his words, then opted for truth. "What everyone does. Apply for positions, keep your options open, take another job until yours comes open, then hope you get hired. This is a world without place-holdings. No one gets to jump ahead of anyone, especially those holding jobs you want."
"I heard that is so," Tile said. "This is going to be a strange adventure navigating through this. It would appear you have. What's the story?"
"We came here without pretensions of any kind and didn't look back. We found our son, his family and a lovely life here among The People. Its liberating how wonderful it is to just live and not go through the rituals and idiotic tangle of the way we used to live. This place is the Matrix is more ways than I can articulate," Venture said evenly.
"You found Prowl?" Pardon asked with surprise. "The last I heard he was with Prime hunting the Allspark."
"He was," Venture said. "They found It. Primus restored all the artifacts both here and at Simfur. Its possible because He's a multiversal singularity. We are the luckiest and happiest group of Cybertronians that exist."
"Is that so?" Tile asked with a soft voice.
Venture felt the burn. He sat forward meeting Tile's gaze levelly. "Yes," he said. "It is."
=0=TBC 7-29-2022 8-12-2022
