The Diego Diaries: Silas (dd8 176)
=0=On the way out of town
They drove along Cultural Center Road heading for the highway to the habitats, Metroplex Highway 1. Polaski glanced at Daniels. "How do you like living here?"
Daniels shrugged, ever oddly noncommittal. "Its okay. Its a good living, I don't have to pay for anything and its not Earth."
"I hear ya," he replied. "What's the lay of the land at Earth2?"
"Harris runs a tight ship. Its a good place with a lot of people. We're up to allowed capacity at 10,000. A number of them are family and dependents. Usually those with retired parents have them come to live. The immigration process favors families. Its something Prime wants to keep a good community spirit and keep homesickness at bay. My parents and grandfather live here. They love it." Daniels looked at him. "You got family?"
"In Chicago. I don't think they'd like coming here but you never know. What's the power structure at Earth2?" Polaski asked.
"Harris runs the place. His inner circle includes Kyle Davis, Andre Baudin and Perry Beliveau. He has others who are close but they're key to the place. The other billionaires live here and run their businesses remotely. They like the cachet, think they have a chance of sweet talking Prime into a better relationship tech and development-wise and generally like showing off. Their kids go to school here, some of them putting in the time and others not."
Polaski nodded. "Prime isn't a fool."
"No," Daniels agreed rather grimly. "The worst thing a person can do is underestimate him. I did to my everlasting regret. No one understood them then but I've had a lot of time to watch things and him in particular. You're a damned fool if you think he's some kind of simple proposition. He's had millions of years to encounter every kind of possibility that exists."
"Good to know," Polaski said as they stopped at the lights. When they changed, Daniels continued onward turning left to go toward the habitats down Metroplex Highway 1 toward Habitat Road through the Temple District. "Everything is so tall."
"You'll get used to it. The concourse at Unidad is about 250 meters high. Everything is oversized for us," Daniels said.
"I hear the Mall of Terra is our size," Polaski said with a grin. "Harris took a shellacking with that on the news."
"Serves him right," Daniels replied with satisfaction. "He walked into the trap that Prime set him. He wanted the Mall to double and a half, then make money off it, building obligation and ties to major corporations back home. He takes a finders fee for getting a corporation an outlet here. They get through the application process with his help and approval and have a foothold with all the publicity and exclusivity that means. He then makes a show of donating the fee to charity back on Earth, takes a rental payment as 'consultation', then has them over a barrel. He leads by force of personality and clever manipulation."
"Do the other habitats fall into line?" Polaski asked.
"No. They're all independent and none of them like Owen. He was pretty heavy handed before he decided to be less so. As for the news story, Prime was ready for him. He fell into it and had to crawl in front of the press. I was there. It was beautiful."
"You go to the committee meetings?" Polaski asked with surprise.
"Most of the time. There's always something complicated there that he wants me to hear rather than have him explain later. He thought that Prime was telling him everyone's economy had to resort to their own cashless model. Kyle messed it up and it didn't get better. Prime watched him hang himself, then waited for him to ask for a meet up. He let him have one though there was stuff going on, then Prime dropped the bomb. He only meant the Mall. It was beautiful."
"Do you and Harris get along?" Polaski asked with a slight grin.
"We do. I just don't have the patience to not see what's going on. Harris is good to work for. He's also devious and patient. I love to watch the show," Daniels replied. They passed the Temple entrance heading in light traffic southwestward. "That's the Temple. You can't go there. Most can't."
"You?" Polaski asked as he studied the area.
"Are you kidding?" Daniels asked.
"What can you visit?" Polaski asked.
"You can visit the Basilica and the shrines unless a thing is going on inside," Daniels said as they entered Metro District 1. "These cityscapes are sentient. They're Metrotitans like the two in The City. They call Autobot City 'The City' just so you know. Its one of several nicknames like Metro District 5 which is called 'The Eight Ball' because its made of eight metrotitans. The Shrine of Thirteen and the Basilica is coming up."
"Can we stop in? What's that?" Polaski said as he noted a huge gated compound on the left upcoming.
"That's the Mausoleum of Autobot City, a cemetery. We can go in," Daniels said as he pulled into the turn lane to wait for an opening. He turned left, then entered the open gates. Driving inside the huge space, they saw a funeral nearby.
Pulling over to watch, both of them saw a group gathered around a hole in the ground. Someone was holding a plaque-like piece of metal with words and a picture on its surface. A mech who was wearing a red habbard poncho-like over their shoulders was talking to everyone gathered, then he stepped back to allow several of them to pick up a torpedo shaped canister to move it to the hole. Tenderly, carefully, they slid it in until it was sheathed on its head. Another mech picked up a heavy grate, then put it over the hole.
Still another mech holding the plaque set it on the ground carefully, slotting it into a hole on the grate so that it stood alone. It was easier to see now and held the face of someone in an oval above rows of their writing. Everyone waited while the priest said prayers or whatever they did, then began to disperse. They walked past their car without acknowledgment but their grief was easy for the humans to see. Soon all of them were out the gates and heading downward to the metro line at the substation below.
Daniels checked his mirror, then drove closer to the grave. A handsome mech could be seen on the plaque. "They leave them up for a year, then remove the part with the writing and picture to set into the grate. That way its all finished."
"Interesting," Polaski said. "I heard there's a number of religions here. What does this group belong to?"
Daniels glanced hard at the plaque. "I think Guiding Hand. There's Functionalists, but not like those we've heard about. The big ones are Guiding Hand who has the Monastery and the Temple group. The Temple group is bigger but all of them are powerful. Some are small clans that have a lot of influence. There's a mountain clan of Seekers that sort of are the heart of those guys. Turbine who's Ironhide's relative belongs to a clan that apparently knows the secrets of God and passes them down. What that means, your guess is as good as mine."
"How hard is it to meet these individuals?" Polaski asked.
"Hard. Maybe. Sometimes you can find them at RTR Tools or the Dai Atlas Dojo in Tyger Pax. They're related," Daniels said as he drove onto the highway again. Down they went as the Shrine came up and so did the Basilica. "That's a shrine. There's thirteen of them, most of them placed in cities named for where they came from. The Basilica is having an event," he said as they drove past. Lots of mechs were going in or standing around yet to go.
"What sort of event?" Polaski asked.
"A bonding or a naming ceremony for a baby maybe. They have all kinds of events and anyone can have them in the big places," Daniels said.
"For free?" Polaski asked.
Daniels nodded. "Nothing costs anything around here. No one is shut out."
They moved onward passing the giant roundabout.
"You can take that to just about anywhere else in the colony. They have these all over and they help a lot. There's a steady flow of traffic all day and night. Most of them are bots going here and there. You can tell them because they have no driver. Sometimes someone will ride inside but they're never holding the wheel," Daniels said as they came even with one such vehicle.
"Intriguing. They haven't perfected that on Earth," Polaski said as he leaned closer to observe. The car turned off at the roundabout heading toward the Tri-Cities.
"So when do you start?" Daniels asked.
"Not for a couple of days. I get to settle in," Polaski said.
"I'll show you around. I have a couple of days off and we can go driving. I'll show you where everything is. Right now, you're not certified and you're on a probationary period. You can only go out with a certified driver," Daniels said. "I've been certified for a year."
Polaski glanced at Daniels, then grinned. "Thanks, Jase. That's mighty neighborly of you."
Daniels shrugged. "I don't mind. Its nice to talk to someone who doesn't hold their nose."
Polaski chuckled. "I don't hold my nose or any other body part. I don't care. Either I like you or I don't."
Daniels glanced at him, then grinned. "You're a rare breed then."
Polaski grinned. "You have no idea," he said with a chuckle.
They motored onward heading for the habitat and doing so a real actual genuine friendship was born.
Between two sociopathic marauders.
=0=At the scene
Dok waited for Prime with the others, a number of soldiers who were holding the perimeter. The news crews were held back, kept from interfering as Dok waited nervously. Two things were on his processor. First, the idea of friends being killed because they were too impaired to come out haunted him. Secondly, the idea that he had no symptoms of the disease which was felling everyone right and left was praying upon him.
No one in his family had been affected either but for his bond. He was sick but not at death's door. Their three children were fine. It was deeply perplexing and as he considered the enigma of it the leadership arrived.
Prime and the others transformed, then walked to him. "We need you to talk to them, tell them to come out unarmed and we can find a way to end this so no one gets hurt. Do this, Dok, and save perhaps mentally impaired mechs and femmes."
Dok glanced at Prime with a pained expression, then noted a familiar face behind him. "Fenix."
Fenix started, then stepped forward. "Dok, let me help you. We have to end this. Time is of the essence."
Dok nodded. "I know. Let me try." He glanced at Prime who nodded, then he began. :I want everyone's attention. This is Dok. Reset is ill, very, very ill. He's in the hospital where they're taking care of him. We want you to come out without guns and give up so you can get medical attention for this. I'm calling for a drill, 7-8-0A. Come out and let me take care of you. You know me. I took care of your religious training.
:Remember when I taught you that forgiveness and trust were virtues? Remember when I told you that the Allspark and The One loved you? Then trust me now. If you come to me I will continue to take care of you. Please come out and let me fulfill my duty and obligation to Primus as His teacher among us. Have I ever lied to you? I never have. Please trust me now and come out without violence or fear. I am here to receive you. Please come:
It was silent in the space where they waited as the night began to deepen all around them.
=0=TBC 5-27-2021