The Diego Diaries: Stuff and More Stuff. Oh and Bang! Bang! (dd8 40)
=0=At the Prison on Mars
They came in ships which landed on a cleared space near the new lock up. Fences funneled them in their cuffs and shackles down to the big holding pen that was the last thing built to keep them in some kind of order as they were processed. Huge lights lit up the area as the sun had set on the horizon a couple of joors before. Sullen lines of dangerous looking and often battered, scuffed prisoners limped along to the big corral where they waited to be moved onward.
The operation was huge with the new facility seemingly disappearing into the darkness beyond. Guard towers had cross field views of everyone and security was as tough here as it was everywhere. Standing in the cross roads where the ships landed and several different destinations began, Winnie watched the constant shuffle. They were what she expected, mostly gray clad former Decepticons who were sullen, dangerous and unknown.
The system would take care of that.
They'd be taken out of the holding pen, marched down fenced lanes sparkling with energon power into a couple of buildings. The first would be a mass shower. They would be deprived of grime and their gray coloration, something that many weren't in favor of because it meant they'd be easier to identify from tats, scars, colorations and poems.
After walking through a drying tunnel, the first of two full body scans occurred. A scan for their internal hideaways, places that contraband or weapons could be hidden was made. It also took a minutely detailed image of them from all angles. Nothing would be hidden from this scanner. Not even subspace.
If they were carrying anything, they were pulled and tossed. It would count against them if they were on Gee-Gee's point system. The group would move on to the second which was a medical scanner that did two things. It gave a complete picture of their health and any deficits and it also caught any hidden tech that was not on the up and up. They would be pulled as well for a full bodily toss. It was here also that viruses and other problems were rectified/nullified by WIFI downloads.
When that was over, they would walk out into another holding pen. Those who showed up as wanted elsewhere or Cybertron were sorted from those who were just with their group for the lulz. By the time they were headed for the new lock up, the threat level and the repair list was complete.
Ships would come in all night and well into the next day before everyone would be found, captured and brought in. Some of them would come in body bags.
=0=Earlier that afternoon
Kestrel and Tagg along with Spire and Stealth were having a light dinner with Corsair and Imaldo before heading out to take on the children. They were sitting at a diner that they all liked in Iacon while all around them the world whirled onward. On the monitors around the room a game was playing and the news was running with closed captions. It was that way everywhere while the fleet worked out the details of their so far highly successful expedition in the Bootes Chute.
"School is nearly over, Kes," Stealth said. "When does it resume?"
"For Christmas Surprise, it does not resume until after New Years Day," Kes said. "I love the holidays. Will you be able to come to The Residence for dinners and celebrations? We have dinner at Ratchet and Ironhide's home on the eve of Christmas Surprise and dinner on the orn at The Residence."
"I … that would be delightful but we don't want to intrude," Corsair said. "I know that Jetta and Mack go but we …"
"You do know that you are family," Kestrel said to his lifelong best non-family friend. Corsair and Imaldo were omi or second parents to his kids and they were to theirs. Growing up poor in a rough neighborhood had made alliances for many families that turned into lifelong friendships that were as close as any kinship.
Corsair grinned faintly. "I have never forgotten, my friend."
"Did you know that Corsair is only going to counseling four orns a week now? We're getting better every orn, right, Corsair?" Imaldo said proudly.
"We are," he said. "Tell them what you plan to do, Imaldo."
Imaldo grinned. "I'm going to trade school. I want to learn drafting and planning. I want to work with my boys."
"That is wonderful," Tagg said with feeling. "You have so much talent and those youngsters of yours learned from you a lot of what they know. We can study together, the four of us."
"School is such a blessing," Kes said. "I am so happy to go."
"I wish everyone could have, Kestrel," Styre said with a sad sigh. "This place is what Cybertron should've been. I'm so devastated sometimes when I think about the past."
"You cannot change it, Styre," Kes said quietly. "We can build a beautiful future for everyone. You only get your life one orn at a time."
He nodded, then grinned. "I'm going to be writing politics and economics for the Autobot City Daily News."
"That's the biggest newspaper in the Empire. Good for you," Tagg said.
"I want to just play," Stealth said. "Right now, helping the children in the schools and getting back into the arts is good for me. I want to learn how to weave."
"Joon of Tyger Pax at Full Circle in Terra is who you want to see," Kestrel said. "She is a master weaver."
"Joon was the bond of Vinn, the governor-general. I saw that he counsels now," Stealth said. "I pass his office on my way to my own counselor."
"He's a wonderful mech, Our Vinn," Kes said. "Joon is part of our squad."
Smirks met that as Corsair leaned closer. "Tell me more about the Squad, Kestrel. I hear you have to risk a prison record to belong."
Laughter and nods greeted that as a very happy dinner passed by. When they left, the grandgenitors would go to The Residence to take care of the children, both those of Optimus and Prowl and those of the twins and Bluestreak. That also would be awesome.
=0=Out there
Prime sat on the command chair on the deck at Fort Borderlands considering the number of officers and special maniacs that they were getting with this group. He called Gee-Gee on the comm line.
:Gee-Gee here, Lord Optimus:
"Warden, I was interested in arrangements for isolating the officer crew, the special ops and anyone who appears to be dangerous to the general population prison. Have you considered using the facility on Luna?"
There was a pause, then she was back. :I didn't but that would be a good place for them. The less opportunity that the new prisoners have to fall back into line under their influence, the better. I'll call Jetta and ask what it takes to get it up and running for such a thing. I'll call you back with the plan. Gee-Gee out:
Around him, the activity was rolling. The operation was about half accomplished and the backlog of ships would be extensive. They'd be pillaged, evaluated and those that were a good fit for their fleet both on Mars, Cybertron and around the Empire would be salvaged. Those that weren't would be flown by autopilot into a star to be destroyed. That light show was always interesting to watch.
The late afternoon would pass onward slowly as they began to cannibalize the fleet scattered all around the area.
=0=Jetta, Mack and his fathers
They walked into a roundabout, Jetta, Mack, Imaldo and Corsair. They'd left Kestrel, Tagg, Styre and Stealth after dinner to go home but were intercepted by Mack who was heading for Luna Base with Jetta. They chatted, then were asked to come along to watch. It was a happy expectant group that met Jetta at The Fortress bridge room along with a number of construction bosses who would help evaluate and do any modifications that would be needed.
They would be needed.
=0=Luna Base moments later
They walked out of the bridge, shot the shit with the Seekers there, then walked outside to hoof it to the facility about three miles away. Walking along a road that was packed down, then blasted to become hard as rocks, they chatted together as Mack and Jetta pointed out things to their genitors.
The construction bosses followed, enjoying Mack and Jetta's happiness. By the time they reached the half filled parking lot, the massive well lit facility was a sight to see.
They entered, then walked to reception where the facility boss, Lan was waiting. After a moment of conversation, Mack got his datapad ready as the bosses followed suit. Jetta on lined his specialized camera, then with genitors in tow, they began to walk around the facility to get a bead on changes and/or enhancements. They were going to raise this facility from a 'Level 4-Dangerous But Non-Lethal' lock up to 'Maximum Security-Level 9-Primal Access Grants Only'. It would be the equivalent of the alternate universe prison on Mars.
It would take a while to get it organized but it would be finished, refurbished and ready to go in two orns. The open features would be replaced by solitary confinements. No one would be allowed out to exercise and use other facilities when someone else was there. It was an end-of-the-road experience for the worst, most dangerous and lethal prisoners they held short of the special prison section for the mental patients on Mars.
=0=Out there
Springer and Drift walked down the corridor with guns and swords in servos. Most of the ship had capitulated. They were here to surrender and live. Their families were ragged with emotion and fear by the time they were bridged to the Port of Mars Immigration and Refugee Facility in the colony to be sorted and assisted by legal and prison officials before going through the process to live here. Now it was the leftovers, those who were not sure it was a good idea to give up or were just afts.
"Give it up! You have no where to go. Nitrate doesn't care about you. We put his aft on ice. If you had a shred of sense you'd just put the guns down and give it up," Springer hollered.
"I would."
"What?" Springer asked as they paused at a hatchway.
"Give it up," Drift said.
Springer smirked. "That was never in question."
Drift smirked back. "There's that devastating charm and wit again."
Springer waggled his optical ridges. "I do have it don't I."
"You won't get an argument out of me," Drift said with a sultry tone.
"You two through?"
Both of them nearly jumped out of their peds as a pair of Decepticons appeared with their servos over their helms. Glancing at each other, Drift and Springer looked at them. "Any more of you suckers left?"
"Up ahead. They're disarming. They sent us to tell you but we didn't want to break up your romance here," one of them said with a smirking near leer.
"Fragging romance. I almost puked," another said as they were clapped in cuffs.
"Tell us about it."
Springer and Drift jerked, then looked behind them.
Warlord, his brother, Saber, Hercy and Kup were standing there with their big big guns.
Drift and Springer glanced at them, then each other, then the smirking 'Cons and then each other. Springer grinned. "If you're jealous, that's your problem."
"That's me. Jealous," Hercy said.
Kup nodded, then removed his cygar. "Jealous. Most mechs are. Of me."
Huge laughter including the 'Cons was heard as the two were marched out to go to the shuttle and a bridge hop to Tennyson's high security forward holds.
Springer watched them leave, then stepped through the hatch. "Let's get the rest of them," he said as he disappeared from view.
Drift waited for the others to go but they waited with grins. "You're not coming?"
"We're waiting for you," Warlord said with a smile. "We don't want to break up the great romance."
Drift snickered. "Slaggers." Then he stepped through as the others followed right behind him.
One ship down, too many more to go.
=0=TBC 12-14-2020 12-28-2020