The Diego Diaries: End Tim(ing) (dd8 510)
=0=Out there
Prime sat on the command chair on his ship staring at the greatly diminished mass of lights before him on the main screen forward. What had been an almost catastrophic brilliance was now reduced to something the size of a large battle group. Millions of individuals had been transferred to various locations depending upon their health and circumstances.
He considered his conversation earlier with Magnus and Springer.
=0=Several joors earlier
"How are our people settling in?" Prime had asked as he touched base with those who were managing the repatriation on the home ground.
"We've managed around the storm to get everyone where they're supposed to go. Most of them are handling it well but there are those that are giving us problems," Magnus said as Springer nodded. "This is such a big and various group that the cohesion of most of our arrivals is missing to a degree here."
"We've had to arrest a number of civilians who aren't managing things well. Some of them are out and about, something we don't hold against them but they're fighting in bars, some of them and can't get a handle on the rules yet," Springer said. "Our patrols are beefed up out at District 13. I suspect its going to take a bit of time for them to figure out what they've landed in and how it all works."
"What about troublemakers? Gangs? High castes? That sort of thing? How about catching criminals before they get past immigration?" Prime asked.
"We have a pretty good system and rhythm going, Optimus," Magnus said. "We've picked up a lot of individuals with old warrants, some the older Watch mechs know, some who might be victims of the old regime. We're going through them to see which ones are good and which are slag. When we ascertain one is we let them go after a hearing with the Port and Watch."
"We must be vigilant that those who were unjustly charged don't have problems here," Prime said.
"We're having more problems of settling in because some of them come from really destitute circumstances and others have run wild in the Diaspora. I suspect we're going to have a lot of sub adult kids in the jail before this settles," Springer said.
Prime nodded. "Use as many resources as you need. I will be speaking to those who are already there shortly on IntraCom. I want to be updated every joor and immediately if there is trouble. We must set the tone now and not later."
It would go on for a bit.
=0=On the road
Public Works trucks worked hard to snow plow the sand off the highways allowing for one lane traffic on the main road system all around the colony. The Train Authority used brand new engines with a type of snow plow on the front to travel through all the rail lines and clear the single track that all of them floated over. The tracks themselves were fine and dandy though many were buried to some depth. Blasting along with an ionized plow made all the difference in the world.
Soon the trains overland, commercial and passenger would be buzzing along again.
=0=Getting along
Tie and Ravel trudged through knee deep sand on the sidewalks as they headed toward the Temple for Halo and Autobot City Business Plaza for work. Sitting on Tie's arm, Halo waved to the sand plows as they sped by earning a honk of horns. Businesses with street side access were working to get their portion of the sidewalk cleared.
Cleaning trucks followed the plows sucking up the sand that they had plowed into a berm. Behind them the pavement gleamed as they made their way along. The city had a very good system of debris removal and soon the city centers of all of the urban areas would be passable on foot and by vehicle.
"We're almost there, Halo," Ravel said with a smile as he followed along behind Tie and the baby. "You're going to be in school in no time."
All of the buses managed to come pick up kids for school. The buses and cabs drove off slowly in the traffic that was squeezed down into one lane for now. The Metros spilled out pedestrians who had come to work and other things were doing great guns so far. Halo's little bus hadn't arrived because it was buried under sand.
But never fear …
=0=Early as frag
Raptor grinned at the forlorn pair of mechs that waited beside their wheelbarrows filled with shovels and buckets. "We have a situation here, boys. You can be a very big hero today. This little bus picks up babies for the Temple School. One of them is my little grand daughter, Halo. I want this bus dug out before you go back to the places you're working on. You'll do a good job for a lot of people when you do."
With that, Raptor of Praxus walked off leaving the two behind.
The area was dark by for the lights set on building walls that lit up the courtyard where they were standing. It was the open space in the center of the outbuildings that was like a plaza. Off its flat stone area the Temple Scriptorium, the Temple School for Priests and Religious, the outbuildings where things happened -meetings, work sessions, the Board and others met as well as everything that helped upkeep the space could be found here.
Discreet lights on the buildings that were motion operated and three tall pole lights scattered about the area were the only illumination against the darkness. That was broken up to an extent with the spectacle of towers all around, their lights here and there signaling someone was awake even at this joor.
The sound of cars driving and trucks working, the odd honk and siren far away signaled the vibe of the Old City. They were an urban people, though there was a lot of 'country' to be found on Cybertron. All in all, The People preferred cities and their faster pace. The colony had urban islands in a sea of countryside, all of it immaculate until the storms came.
Thus …
They didn't look or speak to each other. Both of them took a side of the little bus and began to dig and brush sand off the half buried vehicle. It wouldn't take a lot of time to get it dug out. The sand here was wispy and soft. When they were finished with this, they would trudge to their respective sand piles and begin the hard work of removing tons and tons of sand to the dumpsters nearby.
It would be fragged.
=0=On the street
The sun was up overhead but the light was feeble as the air was still choked with sand and dust slowly filtering downward. It would take a day or two for it to settle. That wouldn't slow down anyone who lived here but the humans who were still confined to their habitats.
On the street walking in groups, newbies stared in wonderment at the sights to see. Most of them had lived in settlements or on ships for the majority of the Diaspora and none of them had this kind of luxury and opportunity before. Even in the best and most well appointed settlements, it wasn't like this.
Mechs walked into the bars which were open with the start of the orn. Restaurants were bursting and crowds of individuals were walking about, some congregating before windows to watch those inside buildings doing things. Traffic was picking up. The government offices and other officials places had lines. It was busy everywhere Springer and his posse rode.
They clopped along the sidewalk pulling off it as they passed individuals, many of whom stepped away from the horses in fear or reached out to touch them. Many of those they saw were sub adults in groups going this way and that with gusto.
"Those kids … do they look school age?" Springer asked no one in particular.
"We'll ask in three orns. That's their timeline to get there if they are," Drift said. "I just don't want anymore gangs."
"You and me both," Springer said as they reached the park and cut across it to the other side of the city. They would go down the sidewalks, then exit into the rough land between the next urban center. They would plod through sand along the highway heading toward Pax as the morning began to lighten just a little bit.
=0=Callo and Company
They walked to the Metro to head for the prison. They were going to try to see Decca and his daughter to speak about Kudon and his death. They had a lawyer with them to be listed as attorney of record for Decca and his group.
They would go there, be turned away due to a Primal hold, then head back to Callo's apartment to regroup. Stettler would become Decca's attorney of record.
=0=The lake at Unidad
They sat on the grass staring at the dome which was surrounded by a light orange veil of sand blowing at a lower rate outside. Olivia Bowers and Monica Hadden had ridden on two of her horses to the lake. Her dogs lolled on the ground having run alongside all the way here. It was beautiful and peaceful.
"I'll be glad when the sun's back," Monica said as she lay back on the grass. "It helps with the vibe."
Olivia nodded. "How are the mercs doing? I heard that they're coming over here a lot, them and that Frazer guy."
"We mostly ignore them though they hang out in the bars and chat up the girls. Frazer is dating someone in the data department." Monica sighed. "I wish they'd leave. They give us all a bad name."
"Prime is strategic. There's something he needs to have them here for," Olivia said, then she grinned. "Did you hear that Charlotte had her baby?"
"No," Monica said as she sat up. "What a relief. I can imagine Seymour is impossible."
"He is," Olivia said with a chuckle.
=0=There
"Do you need anything?"
"No," Charlotte said. She was sitting in a rocking chair by the window of their big apartment in Unidad. Spread out before them in all directions the view was the dome and its green majesty. "We're good."
Charlotte Mearing-Simmons was rocking in her chair by the huge windows as she held their daughter, she and Seymour's. She was just born at last, a big beautiful girl with lots of dark hair. Her name was Scarlet Anna Mearing-Simmons. She bore the first name of both parent's mothers.
Seymour sat on a chair across from both staring at the baby, then Charlotte. "Do you feel okay? I never … I've never been through this so I don't know. I suppose its a relief and all. She looks good, really good. She has my mom's nose. Don't you think?" He looked at Charlotte with his usual intensity.
She grinned faintly. "Could be. Ask me in a couple of days."
Seymour nodded as he stared at his daughter. "She's really a beautiful girl. Woe be to the boys who mess with her."
Charlotte grinned. "Woe be to all of us."
It would pass slowly and peacefully at the Casa de Mearing-Simmons on the tenth floor of the Housing District in Unidad Terra 1.
Scarlet Anna Mearing-Simmons, born August 25, 2022 in the Infirmary at Unidad Terra 1, Autobot City, Mars, the colonial domain of the last Prime of Cybertron would be by virtue of her birth a Cybertronian citizen.
=0=Prowl
He rose from the table, then walked to Optimus. "We have it in hand. You and I, the senior staff and the techs can go. The standby crew just landed on deck. They're on their way to finish this up and stand down."
Optimus rose, then turned to the window forward. The number of ships was still numerous but smaller than most of the groups they usually received. Paragon would handle the finish and clean up, then bring the fleet home. Typhoon and Hammer of Primus would assist.
They walked across the deck to the elevator, heading downward to the bridge room. Stepping into one, they came out in the lobby of their apartment building.
"I cut to the chase," Prowl said as they walked to the elevator to go upward toward home. "It feels like ten years when we left to go."
Prime nodded. "I know. I am weary. Let us go home, Prowl," he said as they entered the elevator. It closed on them silently. In seconds, they were home.
=0=TBC 8-28-2022
