The Diego Diaries: Talkin' (dd8 89)
=0=In a conference room at the Ops Center
The morning rush was nearly over as most of those who attended these meetings had already arrived. The humans from N.E.S.T. and the habitats including Prima Station were already lounging on couches and chairs on the table, a new thing for some of them. They were the leaders of all the habitats with a few extras and were chatting together in their gear as they watched the bots assemble.
Prime was sitting at the head of the table like the Grand Poobah that he was, watching like some kingly father with 67 children all of his progeny assemble. He was feeling no pain and didn't seem to hold losing out on a playoff slot too harshly. He looked good on the highlight reel and was his usual princely self during the interviews so there was that.
Sitting between Ironhide and Jetta, Ratchet grinned at everyone like a dingbat. He'd had a good morning and wasn't about to let it go to shit now. As the last two entered the room and closed the door behind them, Prime glanced at Prowl who was helm-to-helm in discussion with Perceptor. "If you would begin, Prowl."
He glanced up, then around, watching as Springer and Drift took a seat. "Well, guess who's last. Donuts all around, slackers."
Drift and Springer grinned, then walked out to the buffet.
Prowl sat back feeling powerful a moment, then grinned. "Check the agenda. I made it myself."
Everyone did. Everyone gasped. Everyone marked their place with a signal so they could goof off behind their optics without getting caught until their turn on the catwalk. As everyone did that, Prowl made the decision to shake up the order to keep everyone on their toes.
The door opened and the two mechs returned with platters of donuts. Putting them on the table, they walked back to sit.
Prowl smirked at them. "Update us please."
Springer glanced at the agenda, then Drift, then Prowl and as he did so did everyone else with a frown. The winged wonder wasn't following the order. "Uh, we had the usual night of drunks, fights and the odd domestic-"
"No. My son. Tell me how he's doing and slide him down here while you do it," Prowl said to laughter, mockery and abuse. Some of the humans were delighted, most of them with the tomfoolery but some were surprised while others, mostly E2 people rolled their eyes.
Springer snickered as Drift pulled him out of his hold. He lay in white soft blankets half asleep and when he was put on the table, many were the big servos that gently pushed him down to the Delusional One at the end of it. "He's doing great. He sleeps all night, just ate, smiles all the time … he's just about perfect."
"Well, guess who his ada is and it isn't you by the way," Prowl said as he began to unwrap the baby. He lay smiling at Prowl in a powder blue onesie and a penguin cap. Tiny mittens were on his tiny servos. "How cute you are."
"I picked that suit out. Its padded and good to -250 below zero. That's what ammas do. They take care of THEIR grandchildren, slagger," Ratchet said with a feral smile.
Prowl took in the challenge on Ratchet's face, then looked at the baby. "Yes. You like to smile at your amma. I accept your smile."
HUGE abuse and calls for Prime to intervene in the theft of children filled the air, then Will Lennox rose to walk to the baby. He looked at it. Tell looked at him, then smiled brilliantly. :What a cute baby."
Every human there rose to walk to the baby to peek at him.
He smiled at all of them.
Owen Harris grinned at Tell, then glanced at Prowl. :This baby is your grandson?:
"Hell to the no," Ratchet said with a deeper feral smile. "That one is mine. I, Ratchet, am Amma to that baby."
"In your dreams, fool," Prowl said with a smirk. "He takes after me. See? Perfection."
That got the love it deserved, then everyone sat while Prowl nestled the baby in the crook of his arm and glanced at the agenda. "Do continue, babysitter."
Springer grinned at Prowl, then continued. "We have a few leads on the new gang plus word that another has arrived. We're tracking fifteen plus these two. Most of them are gangs that grew up in the Diaspora for settlement protection and the habit hasn't been dropped. We're working on that.
"We have some hoarders again. New refugees who were ratted out by their neighbors. We have mental health on that. Mostly its traffic, drunk, domestic and the odd theft. I'm no end surprised at how little crime we manage orn-to-orn between bombings and such."
"There is that," Prowl said with a nod. "Anything else?"
"All hail, Sefette, Fax and the staff at the Day/Night Watch," Drift said.
"ALL HAIL THEM!" -everyone there including the humans
"Magnus. I'd like an update on the building scheduling for the new developments and the expansion of Aerie Hill into the deep ravines behind the district. I would also like to complement the design team. Aerie Hill is a very, very beautiful and given the terrain, efficient development." Prowl grinned at the baby and the baby grinned back.
"Thank you," Rainmaker said as Starscream nodded. "We prefer to build along the sides of the ravines to allow take offs and landings for the homes that are situated on the terraces. It makes it much easier."
"Our architects are the most imaginative and understand our needs perfectly because all of them are Seekers," Starscream said. "It helps a lot when you have a perfect understanding of the problem."
"I agree," Prime said.
"We've built city developments utilizing the Seven City format in six craters now. We've broken ground in two more and are surveying three others. We plan to keep building because the refugees come every orn nonstop. We receive up to 5,000 refugees every day in a steady stream from the bases maintained by Dai Atlas and the Network. Sometimes its more depending upon how much they have to clear a camp for new ones. Omega Base is becoming a city almost from the amount of services and dependencies they offer and address there," Magnus said. "Our current population stands at 202,232,398 as of a joor ago," he said as he sat back to let everyone take it in.
"I remember when the first 57 arrived about ten thousand years ago it seems," Ratchet said. "I remember being the only doctor when a badly damaged group of over a 1,000 came. I thought I'd die before I got to the end of it. Good thing the twins and Bluestreak were there to help."
Everyone of a certain age in the colony's development nodded in agreement.
:I think you were only a few thousand when we came: Niall Graham said.
"I think you were. Now you slaggers number nearly 80,000," Ironhide said. "Sound familiar, Harris?"
Owen Harris glanced at Ironhide, then grinned. :It does:
"Right now, we're ahead of the need with thousands of apartments coming on line every decaorn. We'll continue to do that as well as provide amenities and services, business opportunities and educational possibilities to everyone who comes. Schools, government buildings and medical facilities are slated for each city and they're keeping pace with needs.
"We're also going to expand the human's mall," Magnus said as he consulted the datapad in his servo. "They want a movie theater ... a multiplex, a swimming pool and more business possibilities for their people. I'm assuming that you'll address the necessaries, Optimus, that follow this?"
Prime nodded, then glanced at the humans, bringing himself closer to them by leaning on his elbows. He was going to fire his own shot over Harris's bow. "I will okay the expansion after careful review under one condition. I will only do so if you adjust your economic model to ours."
The humans stared at him, then each other.
Kyle Davis who was with Harris among others stood. :You want us to provide services to the people who patronize the mall for free?:
Prime sat back. "Yes. I do," he replied. "If you wish to operate a business on this planet, you cannot do so unless it operates under our business model from this point forward which is as a purely cashless society."
:WHY!?: Davis asked as some of the others nodded. :Some of us are personally invested in that property:
"I am aware of that but you asked to come here to live in and observe the local model. The local model denies no one what they wish because they cannot afford it. We have flourished. I would have hoped that you would see that and learn its valuable lessons in meeting need and addressing productivity through it."
:I don't: Davis said.
Prime watched the humans noting their raised level of concern. Davis was doing the heavy lifting while Harris and the others, the Daniels and Weaver of all people watched without comment. "Then allow me to explain. A society that institutes artificial barriers to their own people to allow access to plenty by the few while denying the many is asking to fall apart at some point. It always becomes excessive, the demands of the few over the many. It is also intriguing that those who do not produce or create demand the greatest access to that which is created and produced along with its rewards over those who do the actual work.
"In our society there are no barriers. As you can see, we are exceedingly creative, productive and innovative. Everyone shares in everything. No one is left out because they cannot do more than they can. We provide complete access to the products created by the people through their creativity, effort and will. Because they have that access, they are even more motivated to create, innovate and produce. It is an ever spiraling wheel, the growth and expansion of our society which does not require anyone's harm in the doing of it." He sat back to study the humans. "You seem to think, Mr. Davis, that you create something. I find that fascinating," Prime said.
Ratchet was laughing on the inside as he dialed into Sun, Jack and Hard Drive. :Prime's taking them on. He's hitting them where they live:
:He is. I wondered when he would. This could get interesting: Sun said as all four of them nodded.
:What do you mean, Prime?: Davis asked.
"Innovation comes from creative individuals and in my very long and various experience, few people in top levels of management were what I would term either creative or innovative. You sit at the top of your business model which you secure without often having any experience in the products that you make. Many at your level cannot explain how the products you make are constructed. Below you are the people who think, do and create. You surely don't believe that any product you make is a byproduct of your own creativity. You are a hedge fund manager. You buy out businesses that you sometimes put into distress by investing in them, then pillaging them for profit. I do not see anything real coming out of what you do."
Davis stared at him, then glanced sharply at the others. :Are you just going to sit there?:
:He does have you there, Kyle. You're an investment banker and hedge fund manager. You buy into companies, then half the time eat them. Tell me how that's innovative? I do believe he has a point: Owen said with a slight grin.
:And you don't?: Kyle asked with offense. :He just told us that we aren't going to profit off what we've invested in and built here. That mall is ours and the businesses there are ours. We manage it and others on Earth invest in our building:
"Your building?" Ratchet asked with amusement. "Since when is any building that any of you occupy yours?"
:Since the agreements, Commander: Davis replied. :We pay the rent agreement, then run the businesses according to treaties and contracts we all signed:
"What if we change the rules? You're asking a lot of us. Maybe we want the humans who live here to enjoy the fruits of their labors without penalty of payment. After all, its not like you created anything here. Did you?" Ratchet asked.
:You can't do that. Contracts are binding. You make that point all the time: Davis said to Ratchet.
"You didn't read all the clauses then," Prowl said. "Autobot Nation, Incorporated has the right to change the terms of any agreement we have with any entity if we feel that its justified and that its beneficial.
"Given that the people who work here in the habitats and consulate by their very labor create everything that's made or thought up here, it seems reasonable that they benefit from the array of possibilities that are available without the penalty of payment," Prowl said. "Its not like you create anything that happens at Earth2. You just sit in an office and wreck havoc on economies by killing businesses and gutting pension plans. You're a parasite, Mr. Davis. We're going to build that mall but with changes to the model as allowed by the contracts and lease agreements. If you have problems with that, gentlemen and ladies, the Prime is open to hearing them."
Optimus who was having an amusing conversation off line with everyone there who were applauding him for taking it to the 'shorties' nodded. "I am open for comments."
He would get them.
Round one to Optimus.
=0=TBC 02-11-2021 02-21-2021