The Diego Diaries: Prime's got 91 problems and you aren't one of them. (dd8 174)
=0=In a room waiting
Prime sat wearily against the wall leaning his chair back as he waited for them to come. It was getting late again and he'd just had a tour of the situation with the refugees in the hospitals from Ratchet. All of the families who were with the children and the elders who were the worst compromised were being sheltered in place with a set aside area for them to rest. Utilizing three medical centers and the Children's Treatment Center in Pax allowed for them to spread out the burden of the nearly 1,000 individuals who were being cared for.
The door opened and they walked in, Dok and Reset. Behind them were Will-M and Mik. They stared at Prime stonily and he, them. Leaning forward, he settled his chair. "Sit," he said without ceremony.
Dok and Reset sat down while Will-M and Mik were shoved to move. Everyone sat, then it was quiet.
Prime considered the four. Dok could be reached under some circumstances. Reset was not likely capable and the two sons were dim bulbs that would rather fight than do the right thing.
Sitting beside Prime, No-A waited. Beside him was Barron, Blackstone and Coln-2. Sun, Jack and Hardie were there as was Prowl. Sideswipe was guarding the door. Everyone else was onsite managing the scene at a hospital. It was dense and no one wanted to speak first.
Prime stared at Dok. "We have taken in 940 or so refugees who surrendered and found that among them all of the children are in incredibly bad condition with some at death's door. A number of the oldest elders are similar. Given that during the intervention on world neither children nor elders could be seen anytime we were in the colony proper, we now know why.
"Everyone including all of you were scanned by medical which just now ran the data to find out what was really happening here. Its confirmed that every single individual of Meadow Lands is suffering from a new strain of protoform wasting that's been labeled PF-1. The strains that our people have been dealing with historically are F-21 and F-B14. I'm sure that these are both known by all of you.
"This new strain is different and highly reactive in its progressive nature. If you had not called for them to stop, Dok, a number of the children and three of the elders would be dead right now. Medical has confirmed this. They also say that a good half of the children are in danger of not surviving this condition even now." Prime glanced at Reset. "This is a situation you could have assuaged but you did not do your duty to your people."
"We didn't ask to be here," Reset said. "We asked to be left alone."
The door opened. "We're here, Prime."
"Come in, Wheeljack, Perceptor. We need to hear your preliminary findings."
Both mechs walked in, then sat down. Wheeljack glanced at Perceptor who was more medical oriented than he was though Wheeljack was a good doctor all in all. "Tell them, Percy."
Perceptor looked at his datapad. "We have isolated the active component to this disease and its different than we're used to. Its faster in its advancement, sparks from it a number of opportunistic conditions such as dementia and processor conditions that are an outgrowth of it. Its also something that was triggered by the planet itself, though not in an intentional way."
"What do you mean?" Reset asked with surprise.
Percy glanced at him, then Prime. "We've all been in space a long time, Optimus. We've all seen things. Some things defy physics and they appear to have their own internal logic. Some even look and feel like magic they're so strange. It would appear that Meadow Lands is a very special category of planet that I once read about when visiting a science conference where some very strange aliens were attending, some from cross dimensional planes. It would appear that Meadow Lands is a lab planet, a sort of nursery world where things are allowed to take their course under controlled circumstances. In other words, they're stimulated by outside forces and allowed to run their course for a duration of time, sometimes eons before the forces come back to see what's happened and maybe effect more changes. A lab or nursery planet, the aliens called these worlds.
"The planet itself in some way I cannot define is part of the process. Given that you've had experiences with Caminus and other planetary bodies, it would appear that the living core of these planets has a part to play in the development of life on their surfaces in a symbiotic manner with their outside collaborators. Its sort of been a beneficial part of the colony as well. Without that assist, this colony would have died out long ago."
"How?" Dok asked as he stared at Perceptor with the makings of understanding on his face. It was a solemn slightly fearful expression he bore.
"Your colony came to a world and stayed. The colony was rather as an infection to the body of the planet so a force shield was erected by it to contain you, the virus. The shield was the antibody and you were trapped. It allowed you to quarry for your needs but it never expanded your area so you had to dig down ever deeper to worse and less profitable sub layers. When the other group came they were trapped as well but only after discord broke out between the two camps. Its likely that the planet read it as a pair of germs conspiring to reek havoc and divided you to keep you apart and thereby neutral to the well being of everyone and everything else.
"As the eons passed so did the quality of the energon you made. Because the quality dropped you became vulnerable to diseases that are related to this occurrence, diseases that are prompted to form because of it. Protoform wasting is a bodily response to malnutrition. Your ability to produce good energon was compromised and in the long run so were you. But here is where it gets interesting.
"As your population became sicker, as it became clear that you couldn't reproduce children and those you had were becoming sickened to the door of death, the planet stepped in. It actually slowed down the progression of the disease through forces that we are still trying to define."
"Then bringing us here is a crime," Reset said. "You placed everyone including our kids in danger."
"Prime didn't. The planet made it clear everyone was to leave. There was no way you were going to be allowed to stay even if we allowed it. The planet used us as a way of ridding itself of a disease, which was you and your colony. The signal that you sent should never have reached us but it did. I believe that the planet or forces related to it managed to make that happen. You would have been expelled anyway or if not that, you would have wasted away until everyone in the colony was dead. The planet slowed the disease down. It didn't end it. It is highly likely that it couldn't."
"How? How could a planet do that?" Mik asked.
"There were bubbles, energy bubbles floating everywhere. After a while you didn't see them there were so many and prominent," Wheeljack said. "We analyzed them. They were pure energy. Whenever they touched something or someone they disappeared. What they were doing was infusing the colony to keep everyone alive. They were the force exerted by the planet to assist you, a force potent enough to make up the difference between you and death."
Dok glanced at Reset, then Wheeljack. "We didn't have them at first but after a while they appeared and were everywhere. We thought they were a life form but in the end they didn't seem to do anything so we ignored them. After a while you don't even notice them."
"They were the only reason you stayed alive. Those energy bubbles keep the difference even or you'd be dead right now, all of you," Perceptor replied.
"What about us?" Mik asked. "What about Will and me?"
Perceptor scanned them both. "You both suffer from the disease. But I would hazard a guess that you were nearly fully adult when you arrived on world. It appears that small children and those born in the colony are the main victims, them and the elders who are frail themselves."
"You still don't have a clue, Prime. If we'd stayed-" Reset persisted.
"No. The planet made it clear that you had to leave and I have a duty to our people to do so. If you had stayed it would only be a matter of time before everyone died from this. There is no scenario where you survive on world," Prime said. "We are your only hope."
It was silent again, then Prime leaned forward to rest his elbows on the tabletop. "We have 91 of your people left to go. I want you to be the leaders you say you are and call them out. Tell them to put down arms and come out with their servos in view. No one will be harmed if they do. If we have to go there and fight with mechs and femmes that are in all likelihood mentally impaired from this it will be on you."
Dok glanced at Reset, then Prime. "I will do what I can. I don't want anyone of them hurt. Its been … a hellscape with this. I feel clearer about it here than there."
"The planet maintains a spirit about the place, a calmness and well being that is pervasive. You were exposed to this, a planetary lab for eons. The effects are wearing off and so you feel this way, more yourselves. This is a complex case. We will continue studying it and help you with it as we figure this out. But right now 91 individuals who might not be right in the helm are forted up with guns. They won't survive a shoot out and its like Prime says … its going to be on you," Wheeljack said.
"I will help you," Dok said. He glanced at Reset. "What about it? Help me end this, Reset. It might be that we aren't even responsible for this because of what this mech told us."
"Frag that, Dok. You go and sell us out. I'm not helping," Reset said as he stared at Prime with a cold expression.
"Is that your final word?" Prime asked.
"Yes it is," Reset said.
"What about the two of you?" Prime asked Will-M and Mik.
Mik wavered a moment, then glanced at his father. "What if they're right? Some of our people could get hurt."
"I'm not changing my mind," Reset said.
Mik looked confused a moment, then stood. "I don't feel good."
Wheeljack rose, then walked to him. "Come on, kid. Its alright. Its part of the disease. What about you?" he asked.
Will stood, then took his brother's arm. "What do we do? Mik's messed up."
"Come with me, both of you. Percy?" Wheeljack asked.
Perceptor rose, then looked at Reset. "Are you going to help or what?"
Reset who was glaring at Prime ignored him.
"Come," Perceptor said. "Let's go outside and we can run some tests." The mechs followed both scientists out.
The door closed and it was silent again.
Prime glanced at Dok. "If you mean to assist us, please leave with Sideswipe. He will take you to the site where you will wait until I come."
Dok nodded, then rose.
Sideswipe who was standing by the door opened it and both stepped out. It closed behind them.
"What now, Prime?" Reset asked coldly.
The door opened as Ratchet entered. He paused by Reset, then ran scans. He glanced at Prime. "This mech has a moderate case of the disease. It hasn't reached critical mass in his helm so he's self aware for now. What he's doing he means without any impairment that I can detect."
"Very well," Prime said coldly. "Reset, you are under arrest for insurrection, treason and fomenting violence. Since we are in a state of modified martial law, I am calling this hearing together to determine if you are guilty of these charges and to impose a sentence commensurate with the magnitude of offense if you are found guilty. I am appointing Blackstone as your counsel and giving the prosecution of these offenses to Coln-2. Judge No-A and I will be presiding over this case and I alone reserve the right to decide sentencing if convicted. Blackstone, do you need to speak to this mech before we begin?"
"I do, Lord Optimus," Blackstone replied.
"Very well. We will leave you alone for now. If there is any danger we will return," Prime said as he rose to stand. Without another word, Prime, Sun, Hardie, Prowl, Ratchet, Coln-2, Jack, Barron and No-A walked out with him.
The door closed silently behind them.
=0=TBC 05-27-2021