The Diego Diaries: Jammin' and Blowin' (in the wind) (dd8 505)

=0=In the migration

They worked their way steadily through the mass of ships on this the third orn of the migration. Crews shifted through the joors as they changed to keep the momentum going. Doctors, medics and soldiers along with Seekers flew to vessels and entered to help those inside.

Most of the most dire were gone, taken to Gliese and the huge hospitals there. Bridges at the Port, Fort Apache and the Hangar District of the Military Airfield were working hard to take into custody all of those arriving. To expedite the travel they'd pressed into service the Hangar District and Fort Apache with their bridges.

Problematic individuals were sent to Flint and his teams at Fort Apache since he was an interdiction specialist who was good with prisons and their needs like Alor. The Port put immigration officers in the Hangar Distinct to use their enormous bridges as well. The sooner this was concluded the better.

Slacker and Gesso, his bond worked there to help them, pulling their staff together to bring in those who were too numerous for the Port to handle at the pace they wanted to pursue.

The storm raged outside as they worked in the big commercial hangar that had five gigantic bridges, all of them running together. The ten other smaller ones were on standby in a hangar next door. All commerce was halted not just by the storm but this project as well. They would catch up later when this was over. It was thought that three more orns would do the trick.

Gesso and Slacker would be there the whole time.

=0=Home

They slept at last in their little beds as Ravel and Tie took their turn caring for the kids overnight. They'd compromised on the shorties by putting them in the gigantic, spectacular Fortress Military Daycare during the joors following school, then taking them to the house for care and play after they closed the store. Each set of elders took their turn, one orn each until the migration was over.

The kids were good, the bigger ones especially helping ammas and appas with the babies. Sunspot and the dreads were champions diverting the imps and getting them settled. It was a good thing for all the kids to be in school given the situation as it stood but it was a hardship on all of them to have such a broken routine.

Tie and Ravel sat in Ratchet and Ironhide's chairs, turning on the monitor to mute the sound. They relaxed a moment.

"I heard it might take three more orns before they conclude this. I hope its less. Everyone needs a break," Tie said as Ravel nodded.

"I know. They must be so exhausted. Would you like a snack, Tie?" Ravel asked in his sweet voice.

Tie glanced at Ravel, admiring him for the zillionth time. "I would like that, Ravie."

Ravel rose, then walked to the fridge. He stared inside, then looked in the cupboards. He grinned at Tie. "Ironhide likes to eat strange things. I'll get you something nicer." He prepared two big slices of cake, took two bottles of a soft drink that was popular on Cybertron and walked back with them to sit. "What does the news say about the weather, Tie?" he asked.

Tie turned up the sound as Aleph returned to the news hour again. "Let's see."

"Welcome back," Aleph was saying. "We have an update from the mission to rescue our people from Senior Commander Jazz of Kaon who is the director for the Office of Strategic Communications and Special Operations as well as official spokesman for the Prime. It reads in part that 'the mission to rescue nearly seven and a half million of our brothers and sisters continues unabated. Nearly three and a half million have been retrieved and sent ahead to the colony for settling and processing.

"We've cleared out the hostiles in the migration by taking into custody 4,892 Decepticons, three Road Rage gangs, nearly 220 former high castes and an indeterminate at this time number of criminals with outstanding warrants dating back to Cybertron before The Fall. The last will be reviewed case-by-case to ensure that they weren't unlawful indictments under the old regime.

"The Prime himself is participating in the operation and bears from it three wounds and shrapnel in the pursuit of the miscreants who wouldn't surrender. None of his wounds are more than a nuisance and the real danger from them comes from Prowl who's going to lower the boom on him after this is over or so I'm told."

Aleph who was a gent was reading it verbatim. He paused at the last comment, then grinned. "Commander Jazz is a very amusing individual." He chuckled, then continued. "The Air Force, Marines, Army and Home Guard are doing a great job in making this work. So are the civilians who beyond the Home Guard are doing duty out here, some for the first time.

"The priests, monks and priestesses are working with medics going from ship-to-ship to comfort and aid the refugees and their families. Having them with us is a great help and we salute them, the Temple and the Monastery for their efforts to help with this traumatic situation. We also salute the Circle of Light and Knights of Cybertron from the colony who are here as well to assist. This is a communal effort by many servos. It makes the work lighter.

"The ships and vessels of the migration are being sorted on site with some kept and most going forward toward disposal. Tech is being stripped, databases removed and all personal belongings gathered to be transported to storage for return when those who own them are settled. All is well in servo here.

"We plan to continue and to keep you updated. Right now, half of the migration has been rescued. We detect nothing on our sensors though we're aware of another migration coming behind this one. It was rumored to be as big but that turned out to be just a rumor. The next one is only 120,000 to 150,000 individuals in total.

"There will be updates through the Office of Strategic Communications in about four joors if all goes well. Right now it is." Aleph put the data wafer down, then glanced at the camera. "It would appear that things are in hand though this is the first time we've heard of another migration. Its a sign of our times here that a migration of 150,000 individuals should be seen with relief in light of this one.

"When we get back from these messages from the Bureau of Refugees we will discuss this new information with Senior Commander Ultra Magnus of Iacon who is Colonial Mayor and Manager of Mars and the Empire and Senior Commander Jetta of Iacon who is Chief Engineer and Public Works for Mars and the Empire. We'll be right back."

The screen flipped to the scroll of Bureau information from the Community Bulletin Board.

"This is going to be interesting to see how much Prowl pummels Optimus," Tie said with a chuckle.

Ravel glanced at him. "He wouldn't. Prime is the First Disciple of Primus. I suspect that he'll have a sit down chat and work it out decently."

Tie grinned. "I hope you're right, Ravie."

=0=On a 'chat' line

:WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT WOUNDED AGAIN!?:

Optimus Prime, the Messiah of his People grinned to himself. :I had a girder fall on my ped, Prowl. I had it attended to. Do not worry:

:HOW DID A GIRDER FALL ON YOUR PED!?:

:Its a long story:

:I HAVE THE TIME!:

Prowl blandly went about his business at the command table on the command deck of his ship with the plethora of details and orders that were his purview. No one could hear the artillery strike that he was verbally unloading on Optimus off line. They just saw the cool and efficient side of the thundering volcano that was having a conversation with his bond.

At the other end of the line …

"So you're talking to Prowl?" Ratchet asked as he finished fixing Prime's dented ped. Jetting him a script to cut the pain was first, then hammering out a few things, literally, was second. The paint job would have to be done by his pedicurist, whoever that was.

"I'm listening," Optimus said with a grin. "He's talking. Loudly."

"I'd ask you to cut me in but young love and all," Ratchet said with a snicker as Prime cut him in.

:I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO BECAUSE YOU HAVE MINIONS AND SERFS TO ATTEND TO YOUR MISSIONS BUT NO! YOU INSIST ON BEING ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND GETTING SHOT FROM THE FRONT!: Granny was going full on historian on Prime's aft.

Ratchet grinned at Prime who grinned back. "So he likes history does he?"

"I made the mistake of giving him a set of books about human commanders because he mentioned once he wanted to know why most of the wars fought on Earth were so stupidly led. The only one he speaks of with real respect is Alexander the Great."

"Okay," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "How about I chime in?"

"Do you think that is wise?" Prime asked with a smirk.

"Since when was that EVER a consideration?" Ratchet replied. :HEY PROWLER!:

[Silence]

:You have some nerve breaking into a … a conversation, loon. How is his ped?:

Ratchet grinned at Prime. :You mean the one I'm holding in my servo right now?:

The line went dead as five nanoseconds later a bridge appeared five feet away. Prowl marched through like a marauding rhino with a flaming chevron.

"Oops," Ratchet said with a chuckle as he ducked behind Prime.

=0=A few moments later

After a thorough inspection, a TUT-TO-THE-HELL-TUT on the numerous wounds and other afflictions collected on the body of The Most High™ aka Prowl's Ball and Chain, Prowl turned toward Ratchet. "If he doesn't come back with me," he began, then glanced at Prime, "WHICH I HIGHLY RECOMMEND, you are ORDERED to STAY WITH HIM!" Prowl leaned so far into Ratchet that he nearly bumped his helm on the bulkhead behind himself. "Savvy?"

Ratchet nodded silently with a sappy grin on his face.

Prowl turned to Prime and affected the same thing given that Prime was sitting on a crate. He nodded silently as well. He kept his sappy grin off his handsome face.

A bridge appeared, then Prowl sailed into it with his helm held high. It disappeared behind him.

Ratchet and Optimus stared at the space where a bridge was, then each other. Ratchet grinned. "You seriously have to frag that mech before his mainspring breaks."

Prime grinned. "I will take it under advisement."

They both laughed long and loud.

=0=Springer and Drift

The storm was howling like a bitch as the Bureau of Refugees began to use the ten small bridges at the Commercial District and the five at the Port to transport refugees and their handlers directly into the lobbies of their new residential apartment towers using the emergency grid for GPS. It was slower going but it was doing the trick, putting people where they needed to go and bringing worker bees back for more.

The refugees were huddled in serpentine lines inside the enormous hangars, most of which were big enough even with cargo ready to go on its journey all over the empire. They were exhausted, elated and some fearful that they were dreaming, that such a life could be theirs after the past few months on the ships.

Springer and Drift had bridged in, riding out of the swirling of energy into the hangar where several hundred refugees waited to go home. They stared at the big horses, the mechs on board who looked powerful and kind, then moved forward as called.

Springer and Drift watched, then rode onward back out into the storm to report to the Ops Center how it was going. That the bridges could help the runabouts battling the storm to deliver people to their homes was a big help overall.

The storm itself was a howling mess as they adapted to do their job around it. It was as good as it could be and perhaps a saving grace. No one was on the streets raising the roof with their happiness, drunkenness or mental instability.

They were home in their new apartments getting for most the first security and luxury of their lives, drinking a meal of Class A energon from a TAP IN THE KITCHEN as most of them marveled while reading the Community Bulletin Board to learn how things worked.

It made their policing job easier even if it was terrible to ride around in. The storm was really howling and they were revising the plan for the Watch. The horses were going to the barn for the night.

=0=On the command deck out there

Prowl listened to Springer's report, then okayed the change of plans. The substations would hook into the communications systems of their patrol area to listen for emergency calls, public works reports and other official stuff. They would do foot patrols in their areas and look for anything or anyone that was in trouble. No horses, no cruising in car format, nothing. It would be foot patrols battling the elements all night long.

Prowl grinned to himself as he sat working on his part while tuned in to Ratchet and Prime who were having a pretty good time from the energy he was getting from both. It made him feel better. It wouldn't be as good as knowing that the former Mrs. Optimus Prime was leaning into the wind while being sand blasted trudging through the mean streets of the colony. That scenario made Prowl very, very happy indeed.

=0=TBC 8-20-2022

ESL

miscreant: (miss-cree-unt) someone who is a bad actor, a criminal, someone who does something against the rules. Criminal is a good match or goofball who likes to make trouble.

Verbatim: (vurr-bate-um) to do or read something exactly as written or demanded. Quoting something is to tell it verbatim.

plethora: (pleh-thra) abundant, overwhelming, numerous, unending

purview: (purr-view) that part of something that is yours to do

serpentine: (sur-pin-tyne) snake-like, twisting in s-curves like a snake which allows you to put a lot of stuff in a smaller space. Your intestines are in a serpentine configuration. :D:D:D

Today's History Lesson, Class: Alexander the Great of Macedon

Alexander III of Macedon, the Great: He started his wunderkind career at 20 and ended at 32 as the king of the world. He never lost a battle. He lead at the front of the lines and was first to step in fearlessly whenever there was a need, this all his wounds which were 'from the front' meaning he never retreated or ran. He faced his enemies even when it hurt.

In the course of his campaign to conquer the Persian Empire (the biggest in history at the time begun by Cyrus the Great, maintained by Darius the Great, Xerxes who had a great name (Zerk-zeez) and lost by Darius III) and avenge the Persian conquest of Athens and the burning of the Acropolis and the Parthenon he was wounded over 20 times, nine of them life threatening. He was shot in the lung under the armpit at close range for the worst one and nearly died. They had to pull the arrow out on the scene and only then did he faint, something he never did before.

He was an astonishing individual and considered not just the best commander of armies that ever lived but one of the most consequential people to ever exist. He opened the world to Greek and Hellenist culture and changed the entire course of history. He respected Darius, the Persian king, gave him a King's funeral when he was betrayed and killed by his own side and treated his family like his own. That he liked all the people he met/conquered, didn't abuse them and their religions/cultures, adopted a lot of what they did and observed for himself and was taught by Aristotle for nine years made him unique.

He was a man who lived in a heroic society and even Julius Caesar would lament that he wasn't the man Alexander was when he was taking his turn to maraud around the world.

As for Aristotle, Alexander was the recipient of an unbroken chain of learning and knowledge that started with Socrates, then Plato and then Aristotle, then Alexander. He was probably the best educated king ever to live.

"Class dismissed." -Ironhide II

You can take the old school marm out of the classroom but you can't take the classroom out of the old school marm. :D:D:D:D:D I love ya madly. Have a great weekend. I(School just started this week. Can't keep an old war horse down.) :D:D:D