The Diego Diaries: Moving On (dd8 29)
=0=Fort Borderlands, Way the hell and gone out there
He glanced up when he felt and heard heavy treads coming his way. Ironhide sat back as Prime and Prowl pulled out chairs at the command table to sit. He grinned. "Your auras are amazing."
"Aren't they always?" Prowl asked with a smirk. "What's the sit-rep so far?"
"No word from the slaggers who're parked in a gravel pit some parsecs away from here. We've deployed the deep dish array from Beta Supreme and its sending us data. We're doing a deep scan of the local area to compare against what Polity has to see if they're making any moves. So far, nada," Ironhide replied. "The base was rebuilt fast. I have to say I'm impressed. I don't know how he got 'Cons to do the work but they did. Its got good accommodations and amenities. I can see why he had such a big and loyal group."
"What about the prison camp?" Optimus asked as he slid his arm over the back of Prowl's chair.
"We have them all there. Gee-Gee and her teams are there keeping order and sorting out the slaggers. Apparently, he has a lot of his family here and they're the smarties about building. We have quite a load of fraggers but oddly enough, a lot of them are smart former high castes with advanced educations and skills. He has the oddest pirate group I've seen because its maybe one quarter like that against half disaffected former Autobots and one quarter 'Cons."
"Interesting group. I want chapter and verse on the disaffected former Autobots," Prowl said.
Ironhide nodded. "Done deal. We've brought the armory up to our standards and have begun to stockpile energon of all kinds for the usual stuff, food, medicine, fuel and construction. Our teams have everything under control and we're moving a brigade here which Atar and Appas are organizing. A good thirty-one hundred soldiers to support the striker teams that will be shuttle based. Starscream and Rainmaker are putting together a couple of squadrons to bring here to support the big ships.
"I want Omega and Xantium to be based here and rotate in with Kappa who has battle experience and Gamma who's the most comfortable about fighting and has the skills to make them sorry. I have fifteen battle shuttles, four cruisers and two battleships coming. Metroplex has assigned he titan Scattershot here. He's warrior class with a lot of experience. Others are on call but Scattershot will be here full time until this gets settled."
"I believe that this is going to be a permanent situation. The refugees guarantee that we need a presence out here and Polity did the heavy lifting," Optimus said.
"I'll send him a card," Prowl said with a smirk.
Ironhide snickered, then all three turned in their seats to watch as Ratchet walked out of a side door to head for the table. He walked up, sat, then gave them a dazzling smile.
"How do you feel, Ratchet?" Optimus asked expecting anything.
Ratchet said, "Fine," through his giant dazzling smile.
Prime snickered. "That is good. No weird objects floating around? No strange animals?"
Ratchet made a show of looking around, high and low, then glanced at the three. "I only see cats on scooters."
Prowl shook his helm. "Loon."
"That's an improvement, slagger," Ratchet said. "Every time I looked at you, you had a giraffe neck."
Optimus snorted, then assumed as straight a face as he could. "I am laughing with you."
Prowl frowned at him, then Ratchet who gave him another dazzler. "Loon, as I said … what's the sit-rep for you returning to reality anytime in the near future?"
"I've been to reality, Prowl. Its not as much fun. Apparently, you're there and you can see for miles." Ratchet shifted in his seat, moving closer to the three. "I think its a terrible look for you."
Prowl stared at him with The Look™. Of course, it didn't work on Ratchet. He had neither shame nor fear of Prowl but it amused him to try. "I'm telling Rung."
Ratchet laughed. "SNITCH!"
"Are you alright to work or do you need time off, Ratchet?" Optimus asked when he stopped laughing.
"I'm good. The cats are good company," Ratchet said.
Prowl sat back with a smirk. "Well, we have a full plate and we even need you with your humble skill set to pitch in."
"Let me see … I'm C.M.O. of the Empire, the diplomat and Secretary of State and Foreign Affairs for the Prime's Brief, morale officer for the slagging army, Keeper of the Sense of Humor for you and slaggers like you-"
"You wish," Prowl said. "We're still on for Christmas Surprise Eve at our place and Christmas Surprise orn at yours? Or is it the other way around?"
"I guess," Ratchet said. "I'll have to consult my assistant, Ralph."
"Dare I ask who Ralph is?" Prowl asked as Ironhide shook his helm.
"Sure," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile.
"On that note," Prowl said as he glanced at Ironhide. "Lucky you and all that. By the way, when this base is set up its defaulting to Thundercracker."
Ironhide nodded. "Thanks."
"If we leave you here, Loon will probably start a war," Prowl said as he and Optimus rose.
Ratchet smirked at Prowl who smirked back. He glanced at Prime. "Watch out for the elephant seals by the elevator."
Prime grinned. "Thanks for the heads up."
With that, Prowl and Prime walked to the elevator, then left for a bridge to Mars.
Ratchet and Ironhide watched them go, then Ironhide glanced at Ratchet. "Are you seeing them at the elevator?"
Ratchet rose, then grinned. "No, silly. They're watching teevee in the quarters. I'm heading for the hospital. I'll take the little horses with me." He swished for the elevator taking an elaborate path through the 'elephant seals', then disappeared with a wave.
Ironhide stared at the elevator, then grinned. "Loon, indeed." Then he got on with the show.
=0=At home at last
Kes and Tagg left quietly as Prowl and Prime walked into their home. It was night on Mars, noon at Fort Borderlands and mid day on Alternative Cybertron with Alternative Megatron. The door closed behind them as Prowl and Optimus checked the children, then the night time dump of messages and data before heading for their room to retire for the evening.
A long warm shower hit the spot as Optimus walked to the overhead dryer to finish the job. Prowl was already lying down when he joined him and called off the lights. It was silent a moment, then Optimus glanced at Prowl. "Did you get to speak much with your doppelganger?"
"No," Prowl said. "He's so tightly closed up that I don't think a can opening can budge him."
"That makes me sad," Optimus said.
"He spent a lot of time staring at you. I don't know whether to be angry or sad," Prowl replied.
Optimus squeezed Prowl's servo. "There is always hope."
Prowl nodded. "I would hate to live a life without it."
They chatted, then turned in as the moons of Mars made their journeys across the night sky.
=0=The Residence in Greater Iacon, Alternative Mars later that evening
He sat before a fire in the great marble fireplace sipping a night cap with his genitors and brothers. The orn had been exciting and wonderful. They were all gathered here but for the children and a couple of bonds who were putting them to bed in 'Uncle Megatron's house'.
"How do you feel, son?" his ada asked.
"I feel tingly. The energy is still pulsing. The bottoms of my peds are flowing with energy. I feel like my thrusters are activated there," Megatronus said.
"What was it like going to the Matrix and did he change anything, do you think?" Mason, his older brother asked.
The bonds returned with drinks and took up seats around the room. He waited until they were comfortable before glancing at his brother. "Optimus Prime is the finest mech that I know. He is favored by The Powers. It made it better. It was a good thing to have someone who could explain things a bit. The story as I have told you is how it happened. It was a way to tell me that we are on our way. I am proud to be his friend."
"How does he think of you, son?" his atar asked with a slight tone of anxiety. "I find it hard to put aside that this Prime isn't ours."
"You should," Megatronus said. "This one is the epitome of honor and integrity. He has taken in every mech and femme we find that would be dangerous to keep here. All of them are being held on Mars, a colony planet where they have begun to rebuild. They have Cybertron back and took it without firing a shot, that is how this Prime works. There is immense destruction, many times greater than our own and mass death. He's working to rebuild and to reclaim their people. He has received refugee migrations as large as a million at a time."
It was silent a moment as they digested that, then a mech walked in with a grin. "Dinner is served, Lord Megatronus."
He rose with his family, then walked to the private dining room they shared their meals in to sit and eat old fashioned food together on this the holiest orn of their calendar. It would be an intensely happy time for all of them.
=0=In an apartment in the sky
"Tomorrow. We're going to work tomorrow."
"I haven't got a problem with that but its up to the doctors," Drift said as they sat side-by-side watching Earth teevee with the sound turned down. There was a game where contestants ran around and did things that were probably impossible for them to accomplish. It was amusing and didn't require a sound track.
"I'll get Ada to sign me out. I want to go to Fort Borderlands to see what's up. Atar is posting a squadron of shuttles there. That's going to be a big operation."
"Sign up to command it," Drift suggested with a grin.
"And give up the office in Titan? What have you been sniffing?" Springer asked with a grin as he tried to eat nachos with all the good stuff.
"You need a hand there, hoss?" Drift asked.
Springer looked at his stiff servos in disgust, then turned a sad puppy dog expression onto Drift. "Feed me," he whimpered.
Drift laughed. "Done deal," he said.
Springer would get signed off by his doctors.
Ratchet would still con everyone into thinking he was seeing things when he wasn't.
Ironhide would default command of Fort Borderlands to Thundercracker who would assume it with amusement and delight.
All would be well for a while.
=0=TBC 12-01-2020
NOTES: (based on United States configurations but I believe this is pretty standard.)
A brigade consists of a few battalions and anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers. A colonel is generally in command. For historical reasons, armor and Ranger units of brigade size are called regiments, and the equivalent Special Forces units are called groups.
Literally a "square," in Latin, a squadron is the basic fighting organization of the Air Force. Usually commanded by a lieutenant colonel, squadrons range in size from 30 to 500 personnel depending upon the mission. Fighter squadrons typically are assigned 18-24 aircraft.
I'm going to do you a solid. The funniest thing I EVER saw is no You tube. An artist made short films where he imagined animals as round. They are the funniest things I have ever seen. They are laugh so loud it hurts funny. They are also on face book and have a website. I think new ones are on the website and I've downloaded them on my phone they're so good.
Now for the GOOD STUFF: Imagine what the world would be like if animals were round. Go ahead. I dare ya. :D:D:D
Imagine short videos made by someone who is a gift from God that are hosted on you tube.
Here are the names you search for when you get on You tube:
Rollin Safari
Rollin Christmas (Watch this one first)
Rollin Wild
Rollin France
You're welcome. :D