The Diego Diaries: Discontent (dd8 71)
=0=Earth2
"Thanks for this, Cam. I know its short notice but we have to get this on the road."
Cameron Frazer, Expediter and Procurer for the United Nations Interplanetary Human Habitat Project of Mars listened to the emergency request for plants to begin a new project that had come up over drinks and drawings on a bar napkin that would advance the growth of berries on world.
"We want to have the bees from Scotland because this project is going to be a long term thing and having bees from different biomes on Earth can help with the insect projects. We're still trying to figure out the best strains to bring here for the long haul," Willam Rand said. "The sooner the better."
"I have the preliminary requests in. I'll go to the office at Diego and put this through as a priority. I would think, all things being equal, that we can have it shipped here through Autobot Nation Shipping Company in two days," Cam said as he consulted his notes.
"Awesome. That's just perfect," Willam said as he rose to go. "I'll let them know back in the Ag department. If you can message us when they come we can help move all of the stuff to Unidad and hopefully, not upset the hives too much."
"I will," he said as he rose, then shook hands. Rand left as he sat again.
He was on lock down himself, imposed upon him after his tirade. Ratchet had been very specific. You leave and I intervene. It was a challenge to him to obey it given all things. As he mused on the conundrum a rap on the door caught his attention. "Hi."
"Hi. You look thoughtful," Owen Harris said.
"I have a special shipment to arrange but I can't go to Diego to make it happen," Cam said.
Owen stared at him, then grinned faintly. "Why?" he asked, then he nodded and walked onward.
Cam watched him go, then grinned. He knew what Harris was up to and he was pretty certain that he knew Ratchet as well. He was a pawn between them as both jockeyed to seek advantage in the game they were playing. Ratchet had the greater advantage but Owen was daring and unafraid. He's just been given leave to go to Diego. Rising, gripping his gear, Cam walked out of his office.
He took a tiny automated in-house taxi to the Metro station by the environmental hatch out front that ran under the habitat connecting it to the rest of the system under the colony. Donning his gear stored in his locker nearby, he walked out, went down into the station and waited for the Circle Line to show up.
He would board a train, step off at Metro Station #1 downtown, then go to the huge administrative command building above Warehouse Metro Station #2 where Slacker and his now bond, Jessa ruled his kingdom together. Said kingdom included all of the shipping both human and cargo for Autobot Nation, Mars, Cybertron and the Inner Empire. No one did a bigger and more varied business in the solar system.
He sat in the special partition seating for humans as he rode along. Bots got on and off but no humans this trip. He arrived at Metro Station #1, got off and waited for a Warehouse District Line to arrive. When it did, he boarded and was on his way. He got off at Warehouse District Metro Station #2, then took the elevator upward to the main floor of the five story building where more commerce happened than any place he'd ever seen before. Hopping on a segway kept there for human visitors, he would drive to the bridge rooms where several of several sizes were hard at work.
One of the huge rooms was for cargo and it backed up onto a huge warehouse and loading dock with outdoor loading and unloading bays. Only the most delicate and perishable cargo, alive or not came through here. It was specialized and speedy handling always. The biggest stuff was handled elsewhere and was part of a big warehouse sector north of this location. Prime was dividing up such things to keep congestion down in the local downtown area that featured ready-go fleets at the Military Airfield.
He drove past that room and entered the smaller one at the end of the long seemingly endless hallway which had an array of outside facilities as well. This was for humans, their live animals, carry on plants that didn't require cranes to lift and other things. He parked, then walked toward a micro mini-con named Nadl who operated the system usually during the times he used it.
:Hi, Nadl. I have to go to Diego Garcia: he said as he paused by the platform.
Nadl glanced at him, then checked the manifest of the scheduled bridges. Frazer wasn't on it but he often wasn't. He had general leave from E2 to come and go to Diego and nowhere else without permission from Prime's government. Often humans came and went through here to different destinations but most had to have permission and travel okays. It was for their own safety and to prevent the abuse of the system. Humans would go anywhere at the drop of a hat, it seemed to him. He grinned. "Step up and I'll squeeze you in. When do you need to come back?"
:I'm not sure, Nadl. I won't be gone long. Its sort of spur of the moment. Someone needs something shipped to Unidad:
Nadl nodded. "Understood," he said as he set the coordinates and the bridge shifted before settling again. "You're cleared, Mr. Frazer."
Cam waved, then walked forward. Climbing the stairs made for humans, he walked to the bridge and came through the other side. A shuttle was the destination for him, one of the battle vessels kept there. He stepped onto the deck where two mechs were playing cards. He waved to them and they nodded as he walked to the hatch where a set of lockers were located.
This was a ship on the ready-go line of Earth defense. Yet, it was a set aside bridge destination for humans coming to Diego which happened on a regular basis. Cam put his gear into a locker, then walked down the ramp to the ground. It was warm, muggy and sunny. The sky was deeply blue and clear. The smell of the ocean and a gentle breeze reminded him of how much he loved being here. Sometimes feeling the world without the barrier of gear was a miracle of pleasure.
With that, he walked onward toward the base Administration Building and his office for requisitions for the entire human off world population.
The two mechs who were doing guard duty for the human travel bridge on board watched him go, then glanced at each other.
"That him?" one of them asked.
Smokey the Younger picked up a datapad nearby, scanned it, then nodded. "That's the slagger. He's got a hold but he's here."
"Better tell Ratchet's office. He's the Secretary of State."
Smokey did.
=0=On the upward swing
He sauntered along the sidewalk heading toward The Fortress feeling like a million shanix. All of his home bound patients were doing great. It was the system that made it happen. Having healthcare, most of them for the first time in their life and not worrying about cost and other stupid slag, it was just about getting well. Having family be able to take time off work to help them without making famine the byword while they did made the big difference. Because they were cared about and for, they recovered and did so swiftly.
There was a paper in this somewhere for some enterprising student.
He received, then read the message. Grinning with amusement, Ratchet put in the call for muscle, then entered the courtyard to swap slag with the oldsters, snark across the Rec Room, then enter the Domain of the Prowler™ to shoot the shit until his posse showed up.
=0=Man cave nearby
Some of them froze to listen, then sat back with amusement.
Raptor glanced at the others. "It appears that Ratchet needs muscle but 'only the best looking mechs need apply'." He rose. "That leaves most of you slaggers out."
Huge hoo-haw rose as everyone there gently set down their little (and not so little) remote controlled cars to follow Raptor out the door. It would be an intriguing set of mechs swaggering out to do battle at Diego. It would also be a first for some of them to go there to see the place.
=0=Administrative Building, Diego Garcia
He finished the order, put the plan together and sent it to the expediter that Autobot Nation used for their shipping. Twin World Interplanetary Shipping Company which was owned and operated by Autobot Nation and the Autobot City Touring Company as partners handled every bit of cargo between worlds that didn't go through bridges. Their huge white cargo vessels with huge orangish-red Autobrands on the side were sought after sights all over the world.
He sat back enjoying the warmth and familiarity of being home again. Outside in the hallway the odd military and/or civilian walked by on their way to do this or that. Across the tarmac, the Autobot Embassy sat with its doors open allowing the breeze to enter. It was huge and for once there were no bots out and about.
Then there was.
=0=On the way to Mandalay
"See ya," Ratchet said as he rose to lead his posse onward. "WOULDN'T WANT TO BE YA!"
Prowl watched the smirking laughing group leave with a gimlet optic. He glanced under the table to note Prima and Possibility napping quietly, then glanced at the fading backsides of the snarking mechs following Ratchet. He smirked slightly. "Oh, yeah?" he whispered. "Who wouldn't want to be me?" He glanced at Paragon. "Could you manage this and these?" he asked nodding toward the floor.
"Done deal," Paragon said with a chuckle.
Prowl rose, brushed imaginary dust from his arms, then marched after Ratchet and his hooligans. He would disappear right away.
Paragon watched him go, then grinned. Glancing at the floor, he slid his chair closer. "Call me if you need bail, Prowler."
=0=On world
They began to step down from the platform as Prowl followed behind them. Pausing to check out the new slagger, Ratchet laughed. "I knew you'd come, fraud."
"Frag you. Where is this slagger? I can't trust you not to make an international incident out of a simple arrest," Prowl said as he muscled through the muscle. He then went onward with Ratchet following.
Sun grinned at the others. "This could be fun." Then he began to walk onward followed by Jack, Steiner, Ironhide carrying Halo on the down low though everyone knew, Blackjack, Raptor, Hard Drive, Delphi, Turbine, Flint who had the orn off, Alor who was called to come by Ratchet just because he'd scream if he wasn't, Auntie Lissie who was also on the day off rotation … that didn't count two cows in holds.
Everyone was there.
=0=Officer's Club
They had a beer and lunch, laughing as they chatted up the local gossip and that of their particular home countries. Britain, France and the USA were having a great mash up in the shade of the club. They had no idea that a passel of alien vehicles were on their way to the Administration Building to snag a human from their midst.
Stepping out of the Embassy at about the same time, Springer and Drift (with Tell in his hold) came with Hercy, Kup, Bezel, Willa who always wanted to see Earth, Lon, Smokescreen the Elder because he had pie for The Kid™, Devcon because he heard about Cameron and wanted to come for the LULZ and Titan.
Tulip was registering for college.
It was going to be … interesting.
=0=TBC 01-21-2021
optimusprime101: I'm not sure about the titans but nothing is off the table. This story has eons to go yet. HUGS!
ESL:
ag/Ag: ag is short for agricultural. Our high school had an agricultural department and kids could take courses there for farming careers. We always called it by that shortened name.