The Diego Diaries: Sit-Rep (dd8 30)
Shoveled snow yesterday and was tired. Hate days like that. :D HERE WE GO!
=0=The next morning at the Ops Center big conference roommate
The military members of the ruling committee strolled in to sit and go over the possibilities and problems of the moment. When Prowl breezed in with datapads and a harried expression, all were passed out as he sat. "Well, let's get to it." He glanced at a monitor with double images, Ironhide and Thundercracker. "What's the sit-rep?"
"We're about 95% on target to get this base operational according to our standards. It's a fit base so it hasn't taken a lot of effort to make it so," Ironhide said as Thundercracker nodded. "The mechs and femmes are housed, the schedule of service posted as the rest of the needs list is winnowed down. Our energon stockpiles are at 64% and should reach optimal at or above 95% this evening.
"Medical is checked off now that the two medical shuttles are here for standby operations and the armory exceeds optimal capacity at 110%. A big cargo bridge in the deepest part of the armory will allow us to rearm without problems and we've doubled the elevator capacity to bring up what we need as fast as we need it.
"Amenities for the garrison are topnotch and the quarters are being finished for sign off by tomorrow morning at the latest. Over all, its going at light speed."
"That's good to know," Prowl said as Prime nodded. "You have the command when the final sign off is made, Thundercracker." He glanced at Starscream who smirked. "I'll give you authority for rotations in and out."
"Thank you," Starscream purred. "I think we're going to do just fine. Another Seeker command. Luna Base, Camp Cybertron and now this, Fort Borderlands."
Rainmaker grinned. "Nice."
"I agree, Elder," Starscream said.
"I won't argue," Prowl said with a slight smirk. "Anything else we need to know, Ironhide? Thundercracker?"
Both shook their helms, then sat back to listen to the rest.
"What's the word on Nitrate and his fleet?" Prime asked.
"We have them on sensors. Our array is a multiple deep dish configuration and it covers the local area out several hundred light years in a 360 degree radius. They can't come from any angle without us knowing," Thundercracker said. "We're also linked into Scattershot who'll be boots on the ground for interdictions."
"Very well," Prime said. "I believe that they won't be leaving anytime soon which brings us to our next concern which is fine for those who need us now. The son of the Empress said that there's literally millions of our people not that far from the base that need rescue. He mentioned 20,000,000 to be exact. I want to formulate a plan to go there and talk to them. I've sent the information to Dai Atlas via Omega Base. He would like to come to any meet up. What do we know and how much do we have to do?"
"The Empress's son, Joe is the short hand, will be attending any meeting with us including the Empress who holds sway in prestige among all the different groups by virtue of her son being one of the leaders of the council that supports and governs the various colonies. There's also a lot of Stanix colonies out there as they managed through her to get off together. I'm not sure that anyone would be averse to leaving their colony but that's not determined yet.
"I have a message to send that I put on your desk for amendments," Prowl said as he glanced at Prime. "If you approve it, we can piggyback it onto one from Joe to send to their council headquarters. Everyone is waiting to hear from him and its been a while, well past what they expected due to his apprehension by Polity."
"I will get it to you immediately, then send it. Work with Joe to get us ready to go." Prime glanced at Hard Drive, then Starscream and Rainmaker. "If you could develop the battle group that we'll take and make it one, then we can stand out at the earliest possible moment. One of our most important tasks is to get detailed and up-to-date maps of everyone out there." He glanced at the monitor for Fort Borderlands. "Come with us on that venture, Ironhide. When you do, you hand over command to Thundercracker. You have full and complete authority as base commander, Thundercracker, to act and to request that which you need. You are a Priority 2 base now."
"Thanks, Prime," Thundercracker replied.
Starscream grinned at him, then Prime. "And so it begins."
Huge laughter greeted that, then they knuckled down again.
"What else is on the agenda that is time driven or requires response, Prowl, now that everyone is here," Prime asked.
"Well, another game is coming up. The Wheelus Faction is up for trial that might include Crader and Larken as witnesses. A review of the mental hospital holds are also part of your purview given they're Primal in nature and there's a number of other things. We can work them around the schedule and needs on priority basis," Prowl said.
"I'm looking forward to hearing Crader speak about Karyll Wheelus and the fam. By the way, what's the story for New Years? Valles?" Ratchet asked. "Oh, and I want to know about the Crader subtext, the mechs who are working their way to insanity like he did. I haven't had a review in a while," he said glancing toward Wheeljack and Perceptor.
"They're stable in deep medical stasis. That emerging weirdness hasn't grown since their functions were dialed down that low," Wheeljack said. "I don't expect that they're going to come apart any time soon and rampage."
"I hope not and I have to say, Wheeljack, that 'weirdness' is an interesting scientific choice for their condition. Please note the undertow of sarcasm in my voice," Prowl said with a smirk.
"I do believe, 'Jack, that I concur with Prowl. We, as head of Sciences for the Empire should be more exact in formal circumstances," Perceptor said.
Wheeljack sat back with a grin. "I used to go to bed hungry."
It was silent a moment, then Ratchet grin. "So did I. You were economically still disadvantaged as a mid caste, right, Jack?"
He nodded. "Even as a mid caste you could be poor and hungry. We had a big family."
"School was sort of optional, right?" Ratchet said as around the table grins formed as everyone noted the discomfort of both Perceptor and Prowl.
"It was. We could go to the end of Youngling School but no further unless we had a big talent that could benefit the high castes," Wheeljack said.
"Which was a terrible inequity," Percy said. He glanced at Wheeljack. "Your abilities have always put to lie such thinking."
"True, that," Wheeljack said. He winked at Ratchet. "What were we talking about?"
"NOTHING!" Prowl said as the room erupted in laughter. He sat back smirking at all of them. "Anything else before I throw this chair?"
"Desk," Ratchet said. "Would you prefer this table or would a desk do? I can go get one."
Prowl gazed at Ratchet levelly. "I hate you."
HUGE ruckus and laughter.
"I do not imagine that this is the good of the order now, is it?"
Everyone glanced at Prime who was grinning with a hopeful expression on his handsome face. Everyone went 'aw', then Ratchet snickered. "You're the slagging Prime. Order it."
"Yes, yes he is," Prowl said sitting back smugly with his arms crossed over his comely chassis. "He is the slagging Prime."
"I'm telling your ada," Arcee said as she chuckled. "You cussed."
"Snitch," Prowl said with a frown.
It would go like that.
=0=Later at the Medical Center in a meeting
"Sunee and Sio are up for review," Ratchet said to the large group gathered around him at the big table in the big conference room. It was state of the art with monitors as big as the wall and computers out the wazoo. "What's their status this far?"
"Sunee has come a long way with Sio as company, though in some ways they're a unit now and have support for those periods of unwillingness to cooperate. We're not going to disturb their friendship for now. It's not long term enough to make it counter to the end game but its there.
"Their relationships with their genitors, at least Sunee, is good. Sio is less in sync with the ultimate goal. He's truly a sociopathic personality. His genitors are still in the throes of class offense and desire so they don't assist him in thinking in any other way. Cardio is very emotional when we meet and he challenges everything.
"We work through a therapist that he employs that agrees with us even though he's high caste. I don't see a change of structure and possibility for him but I'm thinking it might be good for Sunee to spend a few joors in supervised downtime with his genitors. It might do him some good to go out to dinner and interact with his family.
"He's aware that Bron-E has bonded with a low caste and even though he's still offended by it, they get along. The baby helps a lot. He loves the baby," Rung said. "Getting out to go to a movie and have lunch with Edict and the others might do him some good but it will be supervised from a discreet distance. There will be two off site specialists going along but they will maintain a distance."
"That's good news. Edict and the others will be happy. Sio is complex and I worry that he will never reach a point to be let out on his own," Ratchet said.
The others agreed.
The afternoon would pass by as they discussed Sunee who was making progress toward a better if not best end, Sio who wasn't, Crader who was raging and scheming in the Prison in his mini-con body, the others of his group who were in stasis and thus, their incredible growth was as well and the mental conditions of the Wheelus Faction facing trial soon. All of them would be dangerous sociopathic and psychopathic personalities.
It was going to be fun times in the old town when Karyll Wheelus and the boys came out to play.
=0=There
They ambled into the office after sitting in the meeting about the fort and other slag. Walking to his desk, Springer sat down stiffly, then stared at his servos. "Thanks for painting them. They looked like a human who was skinned before."
"Don't mention it," Drift said. "I asked the twins to touch us up on the weekend. They said they would because … what was it Sunstreaker said? 'If you're going to hang around us, you can't look like shit'. Something like that. I think he's been hitting the urban dictionary again."
Springer snickered as he flexed his servos. "It amazes me how stiff they are. Ma didn't use the oil can this time."
Drift snickered as he sat across the desk from Springer. His table was covered in work which he did mostly. "Well, I don't have any complaints."
Springer snickered, then smirked at Drift. "Wouldn't do you any good if you did."
Drift laughed as the door opened.
Maxi walked in with a heavily laden tray of food and drink. She set it down on a cabinet nearby, then began to ply Her Boys™ with luncheon. When it was all arrayed including napkins on their laps, she grinned at them. "Good to have you both back. As you see, I left you a welcome back present." She nodded to the pile of work. "Since you aren't certified to go on patrol … I checked … you can get caught up. Call me if you need anything," she said as she walked out with a grin. The door closed behind her.
They stared at the door, then each other, then the pile of work.
"Pass me the hot sauce, hoss," Springer said as he stared at his plate filled with barbecue.
Drift tossed it over. Then he grinned at his own plate. "We're stuck."
"I know."
They began to eat.
"She never said to hurry. Nothing there is timely is it?" Springer asked.
Drift glanced at the pile of work. He shrugged. "I don't know."
"Well, I plan to savor my meal," Springer said. "Long and slow."
Drift grinned, biting back his retort. "I won't disagree."
It would be a very pleasant afternoon in the Commandant's Office of the Autobot City Command Center of the Day and Night Watch of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire.
=0=TBC 12-03-2020