The Diego Diaries: On the Horizon (dd8 27)
=0=That morning
They came to relieve the drone who was guarding Polity.
He rose to stare coldly at a small femme, a taller sleeker one covered in tats of formidable organizations and accomplishments as well as a group of armed mechs. Big ones.
"Polity, I'm Warden Gee-Gee of Stanix and I run the Autobot Military and Civilian Prison on Mars. Its the colony of the Prime of Cybertron who we all serve. I'm here to take you to your new home, a high security cell in the prison. I want to tell you that as of now you are number 4718-A32Z-510X. You have no further need of your name unless you speak to representatives or others detailed to you through the legal system," she said as the bars went down. Stepping closer, she considered him. "You will do what I tell you and obey my staff. You will be isolated from other prisoners for safety and because we classify you as a level four prisoner.
"You will get great food, entertainments and medical attention. You won't be allowed to disobey, back talk, challenge and/or abuse anyone I send to deal with you or make a power structure in the prison. I do not allow any competing kingdoms. When we get there you will receive a full shake down and medical screen, then escorted through the prison to your cell. Please note those around you who wait all orn for someone to walk past so they can abuse them. If you see someone who represents a danger to you it would do you well to tell me. If you don't, things might create opportunities and you might join our graveyard in the Mausoleum for your silence.
"We're leaving now and you will be held under a Primal Detention Order. A P.D.O. is an indefinite order of time to be incarcerated before legal measures apply because we're at an elevated level of martial law from modified to level 2. Any questions?" she asked.
It was silent a moment.
"Would it matter?" he asked as Roadbuster walked in and applied energon cuffs.
"Probably not but you'll find that I listen. I don't believe in prisons as a permanent placement of inmates who aren't impaired. We work hard to rehab our prisoners and our recidivism rate is about 0.02%. Its better by many dimensions than that of the better prisons on Cybertron. And I would like to remind you that we hold Cybertron as well." She glanced at her mechs. "Take him to the shuttle, infants. I'm going to check in with the base commander."
Roadbuster prodded Polity who walked with glowering rage to the door and beyond where he would board a shuttle, be magnetized to the hull where he would wait for Gee-Gee and Winnie to come for the ride to his new and surprising home. It would be a tensely silent wait on the shuttle.
=0=Inside the Command Center, Camp, now Fort Borderlands
Ratchet sat sprawling on a chair with his big old peds up on another. All of the comical animals including his fat little seals were gone. What had taken their place was a strange little lady in a knit hat who sat on a chair nearby smiling at him. When he would look she would wave to him. He would wave back as he returned the stare.
Ironhide who was sitting across the table watching him as he worked wondered when the old codger would get his marbles back. It didn't occur to either of them that she was the lady spirit of Mars.
She finally faded as Gee-Gee and Winnie joined them at the table.
=0=In the Matrix
They walked down a rutted road that wound through farming country. In the distance by a bend in the road was a worn looking farm house. Several human appearing people were working in the yard doing this and that thing that couldn't be made out they were so far away.
"Those look like humans," Megatron said.
"It would appear so," Optimus said as the figures became clearer with their approach.
Reaching the gate that led through the fence to the house, they paused to watch the women. They didn't seem to notice at first, then they did. One of them Prime knew from before.
A nondescript older woman with a worn house dress, slippers on her feet and a knit cap on her head smiled at him. Drying her hands with an apron worn around her waist, she walked toward them. "My, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Come in, youngster, both of you." She held the gate open as they walked inside the fence.
The grass needed mowing but it was underway from two sheep grazing inside the fence. Nearby, a field held cows and horses who were doing the same thing. The lawn was bordered by carefully tended bushes and flower gardens. Tall trees threw shade in the yard and cut down on the heat that was hanging heavy in the air.
"Welcome," she said. "We don't get many visitors here. My sisters and brothers are inside but for these two and some in town. I would like to introduce you to Europa and Io, my nieces."
Two women stood, dressed like her, younger than her and they shook hands. One of them glanced at the old lady. "I'll get the others." She then walked to the uneven porch, opened the door, then disappeared into the dark interior.
The old lady looked around, then motioned for them to sit. She did, then grinned at them. "I would offer you something but I don't think I have what you drink."
Optimus who had sat on the ground next to Megatron stared at her a moment. "I do not believe I know your name, lady."
"I'm Shan. Some of my family is in town getting things for the farm. A few of us are here. We're not as young as we used to be. Good thing for the children."
A child of indeterminant age ran out of the doorway to Shan, then stood slightly behind her watching the strange visitors. "Who are they, Auntie Shan?"
"Friends," Shan said. "This is my great niece. Her name is Luna."
The door opened again and several people walked out, men, Io and another woman. They gathered with Shan. "Who are these men, Shan?" the oldest appearing male asked.
"These are friends, Sol," Shan said. "This is my father, Sol. These are my siblings. This is Jupiter, that's Saturn. These two are the twins, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto and Mercury are in town but this is my younger sister, Venus."
The human-like figures grinned and nodded to Megatronus and Optimus.
"I am honored to meet you. You are Luna?" he asked the child.
She smiled, then nodded. "I am."
"We have a beautiful moon where I live named Luna," Optimus said.
She smiled. "You see me? I live there with my mother, Gaia."
Megatronus listened, then leaned slightly closer to Optimus. :We have this information to name the solar system where the humans live. Ours fared poorly with the Autobots:
"They did," Shan said as everyone found a place to sit. She stood in the middle of the group staring calmly at the bots. "We know that they did in that dimensional plane, the one where you are Prime, Megatronus."
"It was not what we wanted," Megatronus replied.
"It seldom is," Jupiter replied. "You don't recognize our consciousnesses. You do what you will and we suffer."
Prime stared at him noting a large birthmark-like red spot on his cheek. The storm, he thought for a moment. Jupiter's never ending storm. "What wisdom do you wish to impart, Lord Jupiter? We have come here for wisdom."
"You have lovely manners and are blessed amongst The Powers, Optimus Prime," Saturn said. He had wrinkles on his forehead, lines that reminded of the rings that were the great glory of that planet. "You, Megatronus Prime are viewed with great anticipation and promise."
"I am still absorbing that I am considered worthy enough to be Prime, Lord Saturn," Megatronus Prime replied. "There surely were more worthy but I was chosen."
"Sometimes greatness is found without warning someone. Character was something that you have always had in abundance," Saturn replied. "Our sister, Shan holds both of you in high esteem. That
makes a difference for us in relation to you."
"We are both in the position of raising our people and our worlds back into the light, Lords and Ladies. We have both borne heavily the consequences of war and a lack of love for what is important," Megatronus said. "I would be grateful for whatever you feel you can tell me that will help me help my people."
Optimus nodded. "I am going to have to move Cybertron to a sun where our Lord Primus can live without anything happening to Him. I have that and more to do. I agree, with Megatronus. Anything that you can tell us will be welcomed and appreciated."
Shan sat down and folded her hands in her lap. "I think you are doing well. You respect my person, Optimus Prime. You know that my consciousness, my spark or soul has embodied Mars and all that happens to that world reverberates in me."
"It is my understanding that this is so, Lady," Optimus replied.
"It is so with the others," Shan said. "Primus has a consciousness, the spark or soul that illuminates this for you. We planets, moons and stars are related and interlinked consciously together. Our brother embodies Cybertron and gives you all that you require."
"He is our father," Megatronus said.
Optimus nodded in agreement.
Shan grinned. He is very glorious and was the first among us to venture into T0he Creation of The One, He and His brother, Unicron. They are both archetypes, the embodiment of Dark and Light, Chaos and Creation. They are Duality made real. One cannot know what warmth is without experiencing cold. If its always warm, then that will be all you know. You won't have contrast and comparison. What kind of life would that be?"
The others nodded and murmured.
"The Pantheon was needed to defeat Chaos and in doing so the Greatest Good, the Greatest Love had to happen. Primus had to give up His own dreams, life and independence to save the universe. It was the quintessential first act of compassion and empathy in this universe. The first love was when The One created all of It for us," Shan said. "We are all interconnected, you, me and everyone. Even a rock is connected to you. All of the molecules in the air, in water and the land are connected to us. We are all indeed one."
The others murmured again.
Shan glanced at Sol. "You were the first here in this family space."
Sol nodded. He was old looking, very old and though he was just an old man that bore the markers of having been very handsome when young, there was something light and positive about him. He looked at the two from his rocking chair. "When I came to embody, there was nothing but hot gases gathering to become a star. I was with my sibling, my other half. The humans call them twin flames … two souls that come from the same pinpoint of creation. I am the masculine and she, my twin is the feminine. We are duality as well … male and female, masculine and feminine, yin and yang.
"We were separated when we burst from the star nursery and went on our way. We are still connected and we are still one but she is some distance away from my point on the galactic plane, the glue that holds everyone here together."
They murmured, then it settled.
"I found my place and began to attract gases and plasma, objects and radiation. Over a long long period of time spheres of varying sizes and shapes began to appear, aggregate planetessimals. Souls were waiting for them to be ready, all of them here," he said glancing around the group, "and I was as well for company. Some of them wandered a bit at first, here and there in orbits of strange shapes." He glanced at Jupiter and Saturn. "You were closest, then migrated back. It was a good thing. Shan and Gaia wouldn't have had a chance to host life if you hadn't."
"That is so," Saturn said as Jupiter nodded. "The twins wandered, hit a few things, then settled. You infants were so adventurous."
Uranus and Neptune grinned. "We were."
Neptune glanced at the two. "Pluto is with Gaia, Venus and Mercury in town. Our moons are busy elsewhere but they send their loving regards."
Megatronus and Optimus nodded their helms respectfully.
"If you knew the steps that make a planet livable you would take care of them better," Sol said. "The humans were a miracle of construction."
"Construction?" Megatronus asked.
Sol nodded. "The eons of volcanism and all the rest, of water reaching earth from the sky in meteors, all of it takes time and much planning." He grinned. "You don't believe in luck or coincidence do you?"
Optimus shrugged slightly. "Sometimes it seems that way, Lord."
Sol grinned. "I suppose it does but nothing is left to chance. Plans were made, agreements made, souls embodied planets and things truly began. The Master Builders came and began to make the essential things necessary for life in the tidal pools when things were ready for the amino acids to combine. Adding this and that, waiting a billion years, then coming back to look, recheck, then add more, it was done with great care and love. Its a very beautiful process. So is the life that comes out of the pools. It could have been very different for humans if they had used other things. As it is, they are bipedal and humanoid. That's a very popular form."
"It is. My children were the same but of a reptilian structure and shape," Shan said.
"The boy, Barrett said that Reptilians lived on Mars eons ago," Optimus said.
"That is true, then things changed. A solar storm tore the protective shield from Mars and life was no longer safe there for my children," Shan said. "Father had no choice but to shed that level of radiation."
Sol nodded sadly. "This is the way of things."
"That's when you were brave, Shan," Neptune said as the expression on Shan's face became sorrowful.
"I had to help them leave, my darling children," Shan said. "Father … The One was … not fond of the idea but I had to do this."
"You will never find disfavor for compassion amongst us, sister," Jupiter said. "The One understands before the deed or word happens."
Sol nodded. "That was sad to see them leave but I am not unhappy that they were saved. As it is, things are very difficult for Gaia. Her children are very ungrateful."
Everyone glanced toward the road at the sound of an old fashioned vehicle pulling up at the gate. They watched as four individuals stepped out. One was a tall man with a sunburned face, Mercury. One was a youngster with a sweet heart shaped face framed by dark hair, Pluto. A beautiful woman who looked younger than her aura spoke because of her looks was next. The other was a woman of older years who walked with effort and was assisted by the others.
It was Gaia.
=0=TBC 11-29-2020
ESL
indeterminant: (in-dee-term-uh-nahnt) something that's hard to figure out, like some people's age