The Diego Diaries: Sandy (dd8 509)
=0=E2
The storm was lightening up as the wind began to move toward the north. The colony was buried but if the wind kept up even a little it would be easier to move, the dust and sand because it wouldn't have settled and become hard.
Standing at the window staring out at the grimy dry dirty sky with a bored expression, Jim Johnson considered the world at present. He had a habit of going to Unidad during his off time because it was bigger and more diverse. Its population had increased to 25,000 or so and there were a lot of single women living there.
Some of them had 'normal' jobs and weren't 'egg heads' too stuck up to hang out with a guy like him. Some of them were country girls, more to his tastes growing up in the country himself in a small town with farms all around. They shared the same interests usually. At Earth1, the women were hooked up or not interested.
He liked to go there and sit in the bar watching the television and playing cards. Some of the men there played cards with him even though he was trouble to most of them. It was a diversion and he liked being less well known in a crowd, though there were few that didn't have at least a clue of his notoriety.
He was also interested in visiting Prima Station when they could. Ships went there on a regular schedule and you could hop one in the morning, then return on another throughout the day. The more he traveled the more information he could slip to Owen.
The habitat whirled onward even though the colony was still hunkered down. The Public Works teams along with the Autobot Army 'See-Bees' were hard at it working out the removal of sand yet again. The news said it would take days to do.
Behind him walking toward where he stood, Sam Hedges could be seen in the window reflection. He reached Johnson. "I'll be glad when we can get out again."
Johnson nodded. "You and me, too."
They would talk a while, then meander onward. The day would stretch out long and slow for the two.
=0=The Hourly News: Update on the Migration
"Good morning. My name is Lim-Lee and I have the latest news, sports and weather for today. The main story is of course the migration out 1100 light years from the third security ring of the Prime's defenses of our colony. The migration which numbered more than 7,500,000 individuals has been painfully and carefully repatriated. The numbers of those who are here in the colony after the processing process for the Bureau of Refugees and the Immigration authorities stand at 6,509,378.
"The fleet after encountering resistance from Decepticons, road rage gangs and other criminal elements in the migration have been able to speed up the process. Its intensely laborious and requires teams to visit each ship, process and assist all aboard, then get them ready for transport. Sometimes its directly from the deck of the ship to other transport while others require the ship to fly through the bridge to the colony itself.
"Prison ships are working the migration taking aboard any miscreants that prevent a smooth transition of the people to safety. There have been thousands of individuals who require medical attention and others who require minor assistance. Thousands of civilian, Army, Air Force and Home Guard medics and doctors are moving through the ships and helping where need is found.
"This migration wasn't smooth sailing. A number of Decepticon ships tried to leave before boarding and flew through the refugee vessels destroying many along the way. One of them was a large transport vessel which was damaged, bursting in an explosion that killed about 46 individuals of indeterminate age and gender. Manifests are being checked to help identify them.
"The same miscreants were the ones who shot Beta Supreme and caused him to be brought back to the colony in medical stasis with severe injuries to his mid range chassis. It was a colossal display of flying by sky cranes and towing vessels that brought our beloved Beta back to medical treatment here.
"This morning Beta was released from his medical frame at the Big Frame Hospital at the Hangar District at the Military Airfield," she said as the video behind her showed Beta preparing to leave the colony. "He walked out without assistance, was checked from stem to stern as they say, then cleared to fly to Earth and recovery in the warm sunny climes of Diego Garcia. That island base was the first home of our Prime and his squad when they came to this system to hunt the Allspark."
As she spoke on the monitor behind her images of Beta walking out of the hangar, transforming, being diagnosed, then cleared to fly were seen. He then lifted off and left with Kappa Supreme going with him.
"That's very good news that our dear Beta is doing so well,"Lim-Lee said with a big smile.
"The prison has received nearly 6,885 prisoners of all manner and type including former high castes who have put up a surprising resistance to coming here peacefully," Lim-Lee said as she continued.
"Because there are so many civilians in custody its necessitated the reordering of a temporary camp at the prison here, the Military and Civilian Prison just northeast of the Military Airfield.
"Warden Gee-Gee of Stanix said that she feels a large number of them can be released shortly after investigations into old warrants from Cybertron before The Fall are concluded. Its been notable that many of those who alert to warrants are those who were unfairly imprisoned or assisted in the revolution in some manner. State warrants from that time are routinely investigated as to validity and thus far only about 10% check out as actionable.
"It is estimated that by mid day tomorrow the migration will be coming to a close. We welcome with gratitude and great happiness all of the newcomers and hope that you find here what we never were allowed to have on Cybertron, peace, unity, prosperity and happiness for all. As more information comes in we will tell you about it.
"Now the second big story, our storm," she said with a grin. "To recap the storm for those who are new, its the combination of two factors that plague the planet even now with our weather technology. Warm air rising to meet cold air in the atmosphere cause churning winds that raise the fine particulates that make up the top layer of Martian soil. If the winds are strong enough then the heavier sand joins it.
"Sciences have worked out how to keep these storms from becoming planet wide, storms that can last for months and months but these spot storms as Senior Commander Wheeljack of Iacon calls them are another matter. They are less able to control them though he said that new technology that they're experimenting with is showing great results. This storm was projected to last seven orns but given its the third one and its beginning to show its dissipating, the technology appears to be sound.
Lim-Lee grinned. "Commander Wheeljack asked me to say that they're dedicating the technology to Autobot Smokescreen the Younger of Praxus and Autobot Hot Rod of Nyon. He said that they would understand why." Lim-Lee who was pure smiled. "Isn't that nice. What an honor, Autobots."
Cut to Diego Garcia where two forlorn boys watching the news get all the support they would ever need from their fellows:
"BWAAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAHAH!"
Cut to the news:
"The storm will settle by noon and then Public Works and the Army can really move the debris away to allow travel once again. All businesses, governmental offices and the schools are closed as yet. The School Board will decide when to open them with consultation with the City Manager Ultra Magnus. All of the rest will be cleared or not by 1500 joors today. It all depends on the road system being able to bear at least one lane of traffic according to City Engineer Senior Commander Jetta of Iacon.
"Right now, we need a weather update before we turn to other news," Lim-Lee said as she glanced at a youngling meteorologist.
He was Stel, a graduate of the Science Academy portion of the University. He loved weather and he along with seven others rotated on the news to give the breakdown of the situation. All of them were trained to be onscreen weather presenters as well so they were all used to give them experience and to have a presenter available no matter what was going on. Many of these kids were in the field doing work for the colony on its weather technology.
"Thank you, Lim-Lee," the kid said as he stood before a mammoth monitor with the image of Mars showing its incredible detail. "As you can see," he said nodding to a sandy colored mass that covered their area, "The storm is still raging on but its dropped in velocity 75% over the last 12 joors. Normally it would be churning away blasting us without mercy.
"Sciences have been working on this problem, huge sandstorms at the equator of our little home world which happen with frequency. The equator of most planets are the birthplace of storms and even though Mars has a marginal atmosphere and very little surface water, it has all it needs to create and motivate these kind of storms.
"They appear in late spring when higher temperatures from greater exposure of the sun at our location on the equator of this planet causes rising moisture in the air. It hits the colder layers above, the thermal layers of intense cold that shroud our little red planet all the time. When they do it causes turbulence when the warmer mass is turned back down to the ground.
"That churning causes particulates to lift off and when it begins to pick up steam and move it covers a lot of ground because it has nowhere to go at this intensity. In the past, the size of the storm could raise dust 250 miles into the atmosphere and when the different fronts converged together they could shroud the entire planet in a storm that could last for months on end. Because these storms are less intense, they don't have the ability to break through the cold layer so they expend their energy at lower levels and cause the amount of trouble they do to us because of it."
He turned to the map. "You can see that there are tiny spouts in the northern and southern regions of the planet but they can't do more than spin locally due to the weather technology we've placed there. They would be the factor in creating the worldwide storms that used to be here but because our scientists are geniuses they can't do so."
=0=Sciences
"Well, he has that right," Wheeljack's brother, Timpani said with a chuckle.
Wheeljack grinned at 'Tim' as he nodded. "More to come, bro. More to come."
=0=On a highway knee deep in sand and dust
Jetta glanced across the landscape noting that the view was beige and reddish toned for as far as the optic could see. Sand lay in undulating dunes as the storm moved onward at this time, noonish, in the colony. Public Works were already on the road pushing sand off the highways that would allow one way traffic. It was time to move given that the migration was still ongoing and over 6,000,000 newbies were here needing to 'see and do' to settle in fully.
Runabouts from the Watch and Air Force were doing duty picking up emergencies and getting individuals to places they needed to go. There was the odd intrepid individual venturing out who would get stranded necessitating a pick up and strongly worded scolding about following the rules 'for a reason'.
Weak sunlight filtered through the hanging dust, a welcomed sight given the past couple of orns. It would help them move more sand during the day but they would be working well into the night while the colony decided how soon to open back up. When that happened depended on the broad backs and tenacity of the Public Works and associated crews on duty.
Jetta grinned at his brother. "Well, its a living," he said.
"Job security," Mack said with a chuckle as they trudged back to the two-seater pleasure craft that they'd made together with their fathers to jet around in. It was the perfect craft for this task. Up they went toward the new settler's home district, Crater District 12.
=0=Prison
Decca sat in a conference room tightly wound as an attorney joined him and his daughter. This one had been recommended to him by an unexpected visit from an old friend in the past. He would talk to him and get the truth about Kudon. He would do so with the help of Callo of Praxus.
=0=TBC 8-27-2022
Sorry about yesterday and such. 'Fambly' stuff as they say. :D:D:D
miscreant: (miss-kree-ant) criminal or troublemaker
