The Diego Diaries: Keeping Keeping On (dd8 490)

=0=There

The huge ship loomed before them as they came up upon it. Streaming out of their shuttle with Songbird on their tail, they magnetized and banged on the hatch. :Open up. Autobots here to assist your repatriation: Springer said as he tensed for whatever would happen.

It took a moment for the hatch to open, then it did.

Glancing at the others, Springer stepped in with his gun in his hand. The others followed with Songbird last.

The corridor was filled with big mechs and a couple of femmes, some young and others with an aura of years. It was difficult to tell age in a transformer unless you were one. They were young for a long time, then they were what they'd be forever and a day. It was as if a younger ended middle age lasted forever with them before advanced age came with a bang. Of course, advanced old age was difficult to separate from deprived hardship over a long period. Auras were the tell among The People, that and the practiced optic of a species that knew what the markers of time were on their own kind.

Sort of be able to spot the metaphorical wrinkles, if you will.

They stared at each other, both sides, then Springer stepped closer. "I'm Springer. We're here to assist your transfer from here to the colony. We need to have your oaths first. General Raptor of Praxus and his uncles are on their way to take them. What do you need while we wait?"

They stared at him, then a big youngish mech stepped closer. "Information. We want to know why we can't live like we want? Galio gave a good argument."

"You can't because Optimus Prime and Lord Primus wish it. End of story," Songbird said as she stared at them with intensity. It was astonishing to her to be this size and interact with The People this way. Also fighting was the shit.

They looked at the big slender titan, one whose beauty had always been a striking part of her story. It was a subtle thing, the shades of her appearance but even humans could see it. Songbird was beautiful in any species. None of them said anything at first given she was a titan and the first one they'd seen in person in pretender gear. The videos had made it clear but the appearance of one rendered them silent a moment.

"Lady, we don't believe it," someone said.

Songbird considered that. "You saw the priests tell you. You saw Lauren and Sela tell you. Do you believe they lie?"

No one answered at first. No one wanted to slag a priest like Sela and Lauren, two individuals who were held in god-like reverence for their piety and bravery during The Fall.

A femme shifted uneasily. "Lady, we went to live on our own. We don't want to-"

"What?" Songbird asked. "Get along? Fulfill the Creed? Be kind and decent to others of your own species that are allowing you to come to comforts and safety? I wish you could see how everyone together works so hard to create such a place as our colony. There is nothing of its like anywhere, even on Cybertron. They work hard so you can have comforts and safety, yet you come here with your ingratitude and scorn. It vexes me deeply."

Ambler who was watching her with incredible admiration glanced at the femme. "You're vexing her," he said accusingly to the group.

It took all that everyone had including Songbird not to laugh at that remark.

"I'm offended by the lack of gratitude," Songbird said. She lay a slim servo on Ambler's shoulder, a servo that could rip the guts out of a girder with little effort. "How small it is not to be grateful and to fit into the paradigm that's given to you without cost. Why are you so?"

She stared at them with her red visored optics which were also analyzing the entire group and the room. Down the corridors many stood, almost all of them mechs and all that were there were armed.

No one spoke a moment, then the femme stepped forward. "We aren't ungrateful, Lady. We just want to be left alone."

"To live contrary to The One and to Primus. You wish to ignore Them then. You wish to ignore the Great One who gave up His life to give you yours? He did have His own thoughts, you see. He had His own dreams but He laid them aside so that you could have yours. And what did you do with His great sacrifice? You turned it on its helm. You became closer to Unicron when you did than to Him. You destroy and you don't care. Tell me where I'm wrong, femme," she said.

The femme stared upward at her, then shifted. It was a good argument. "We don't wish to offend anyone, Lady. Not The One, Primus or you. We just want to have the life that makes us happy. That's all."

Songbird stared at her, then the others who were looking uncomfortable. "Then you wish to live a life of denial of The One and Primus? You wish to renounce your identity as a Cybertronian and become another species?"

"Why would that happen, Lady, because we want to live somewhere else and have our own identity and culture?" a mech asked.

"What is our creed?" Songbird asked.

It was silent, then a mech said, "Until all are one."

"Who gave us the creed?" she asked.

"You know," the femme said.

Songbird stared at the femme. "I am asking you. It would appear to me that you might not know given your conduct and sense of entitlement."

The femme stared at her. "If we're so bad, let us go."

"Primus gave up everything for all of us. He didn't do that for some, but all. The Prime can't do that because there's no where here to go. You can go back to the place you came from because that's the only space that has places for settlements."

"The Decepticons drove us away. We didn't want to go but they made us leave. If we go back they'll kill us," someone said.

Songbird nodded. "They'll end your lifestyle but so what? You can't live anywhere in this sector but on Mars and the rules are clear. They're derived from Primus and The One. They're the creed. You're blasphemous in your contempt for the creed, for Primus and The One. Why is that?"

It was silent in the group as they stared across the void at the soldiers and the big white femme staring at them with her beautiful face and force of will.

"We don't wish to continue this argument, Lady. We will never agree," the femme said.

"You will when you go back the way you came because you can't live here on your own and you'll be slapped into the black hole in the center of this galaxy if you try to do so on Mars. No one wants what you want ever again. Give your oaths. Then go to Mars and be grateful. You could be fleeing the Decepticons with no where to go. Meditate on that. We're a miracle waiting to receive you. Your lack of gratitude is breathtaking," Songbird said.

It was silent a moment, deeply silent, then Ambler glanced upward at Songbird. "Bond with me," he said.

Snickers rounded the room as she grinned at him. Then big mechs slid through the hatch door nearby to walk toward them.

"This looks like fun," Raptor said as Sun, Jack, Metroplex and Ace followed. "How about a little oath giving, then we can all have a beer and dance?"

That's when the shooting started.

=0=Prowl

Optimus had walked back on board Camber to get a sit-rep and wind down a bit. Going into the mob was so aggravating that he was taking a break, an unaccustomed move on his part, the hands-on slagger.

Prowl glanced at him as he sat on the command seat going over data on a data pad. "There's a shoot out going on in a huge passenger ship. It appears that oath taking is a step too far for some."

"Who is there?" Prime asked.

"Raptor, Sun, Jack, Ace, Metroplex, Songbird and Springer's crew. Do you believe they need more assistance?" Prowl asked.

"I will ask. Prime to Springer."

:SPRINGER HERE! WHAT DO YOU NEED, DAD!? I'M GETTING PUMMELED HERE!:

Optimus glanced at Prowl. "Send them back up, Prowl."

Prowl who was smirking nodded. "Done deal. Springer, help is on the way."

:THANKS! SPRINGER OUT!:

The sound of shouting, gunfire and running peds ended with his sign off.

Prime would continue to read data, make decisions and get his rage under control. Prowl would continue to be Prowl and Kudon would watch the show from the lounge nearby.

=0=Mars

Fenix watched Tile leave his office with a sinking feeling. The big mech had come to him to get information about employment in his old career and to ask questions about Tempo, Commotion and Kudon. The Iacon Order was discussed and when Tempo left it was with the least amount of data Fenix could manage.

He sighed, then rose to walk to Venture's office. Rapping on the door, he grinned. "Have a moment?"

"Always for you, friend," Venture said. He watched as Fenix sat. "I saw Tile. He came back to talk to you then."

"He wanted career advice and he asked about Tempo, Commotion and Kudon."

Venture became solemn. "That's not good. He's digging for data to make trouble."

Fenix nodded. "He knows about the club and how it started but he seems unwilling to understand that its not that way now."

"He will," Venture said fretfully. "We can't tell Optimus and Prowl yet. The migration is going fitfully. They're making a nuisance and there have been arrests."

"I was afraid of that, Venture," Fenix said.

"Well, we shall have to be vigilant. I think we need to get a group together who can listen to the murmurs. They aren't the only ones who can play that game."

Fenix nodded. "Agreed."

=0=Children's Convalescence Hospital, Pax, Terra Hub

They came in, children who were in need of long term care to get back their health. Their genitors, some of which weren't much better followed, hovering as their infants and children were taken into care. Rooms were prepped, children bunked and genitors were shown how to stay with them in their rooms with space for recharging.

It was busy, indeed, as they came including the odd high caste child with a genetic or wound-induced condition. At the moment of settlement everyone was equal. All of them were grief stricken genitors with sick babies. What it might mean later when their kids progressed was yet to be seen.

=0=The Hourly News: Latest Breaking News!

"This is Aleph with the news at the hour. The top story is the migration being assisted 22,000 light years from our colonial space by the Rapid Response Network of Mars and Cybertron. A mass migration numbering 8,586,322 individuals give or take a few hundred has been located and assistance given.

"These groups are the usual mix of those who were rousted from their colonies by the Decepticons, some by aliens and some leaving before trouble reached them. They've been sheep herded here by Decepticon battle groups, something that's common with most of our migrations unfortunately.

"This is a mixed group with some alien species traveling here before leaving to go toward their own home worlds in the Bootes area. Not much is known yet about its composition though there are early indications that caste problems are being dealt with out there. There are even indications that some of the arrested individuals are already being brought to the prison under arrest.

He glanced at notes handed to him, then the camera. "We have a lot of data coming in with names for those who might be looking for friends or family being added now. We will take a break to give the links to our viewers.

"When we get back from the messages about refugee information that will scroll from the Community Bulletin Board, we will be discussing the news about trouble in the migration with the Office of Strategic Communications. Their liaison officer will be Senior Commander Paragon of Capital City since their director, Senior Commander Jazz is in the migration. We will be right back."

Cue scrolling news.

=0=TBC 8-2-2022