The Diego Diaries: Incident (dd8 262)
=0=The City
They worked at their jobs toward evening, doing what was needed for the empire as it was controlled from Mars. Eventually, they would rule the empire from Cybertron but it would have to be in place around a good star with its moons and as many of the local group as they could bring. Bridges to home and back to work would make that an easy proposition.
As for the task ahead, there were 40 planets that had to be handled in some way to keep things and everyone together. Some were from the local group and others were scattered, thus vulnerable.
For now, Mars it was.
The Ops Center was abuzz as it neared shift change. Swing was changing over to night and outside the wind had come up, a surprising but reasonable byproduct of a cold front north of the colony. The temperatures were dropping like rocks and few of the most subject to cold would be out roaming the colony. Humans would be hunkered down as the wind blew around the towers.
The command group monitoring the pursuit group through the evening would trade places with the Alpha group freeing them to go home. Paragon would take control of the shift, working nights while Arrow went to college during the day. They traded off managing their two babies who were happy students at the Academy with their friends, most of whom were command staff babies.
It was efficient, busy and the buzz was low and continuous.
=0=Autobot City Stables
They dropped Tell off with Sefette, then took a cab to the stables where they would ride their shift even in the deepening darkness of a sandy evening. The cold could be moderated and would be. The darkness would be no problem with their attributes and tech but the gloom of it would be impossible to raise.
"Who you riding tonight?" Springer asked as he saddled King, his usual mount. The big white stallion who belonged to Prime was tough, smart and a good leader for their horse patrol. He was very calm no matter what was happening.
"I'm riding Taboo," Drift said as he waited for the stable hand to bring the big black horse from the paddock nearby. "He's a smart boy and runs really fast. Rather like me."
Springer snickered. "Is that so?"
"So I've been told," Drift said as a huge horse clopped in led by a stable hand. Taking custody of him, he patted the big calm stallion before saddling him.
It would be a cold breezy ride and they'd see a lot of stuff. None of it was problematic but it was interesting. They rode out together to do their job heading as they did toward Habitat Road to safety check the human community.
As they did, they weren't aware that Cam Frazer had finished his six month sentence in the slammer for being a dick and would be heading home to Earth2 to await a hearing to see if he would be banned for life.
=0=Home where things are
"ADA!"
"What, imp?"
"Lou coming to kool now?"
Ratchet stared at Orion who was floating on his back in the little round claw foot tub that had become their go-to device for baths now that they were too big for the pail.
Side note.
The pail, given its 'historical value' was occupying a corner of the storage space aka Ironhide's Man Cave to be saved for future use by its former users aka kids when they had their own. "IT'S HISTORICAL, RATCHET! JUST LIKE THE BOX BEDS AND THE CRIBS!"
And so it went …
"Kool. What's happening at Kool?" Ratchet asked.
"I doin'. You comed dere and watch me, Orion." He smiled his huge smile.
"I'll try to do that, Orion. I like watching what you doin'. Like right now," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
Orion sat up, then smiled. "GOOD YOU! YOU GOOD ME!"
"I DO! READY FOR A SPRAY?"
"SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
He was.
=0=Out there
They sat on the benches and chairs, gun turrets and other spaces staring at the gun metal gray carcass of Bardo. He was perforated as were most of those in the shuttle, none of them more than painfully given how fast everyone rounded on the dead Decepticon.
"What are you going to say to your people?" Hercy asked.
"The truth. He lost his slag and shot the place up. I'm wounded, too. They'll believe me," Cord said. "It was inevitable. He was looking for trouble and found it."
"Your other guys … what about them?" Lissie asked.
"They have to come. I can't abandon them. They're good mechs, mostly and they deserve a chance. I can't leave them," Cord said.
"Then we have to work out a signal that we can get when you break out that lets us know you want to come. Maybe we can assist," 'Jack said.
"Low band, way low near the ambient noise range," Hercy said. "No one uses that. We can figure out a signal and you can send it to us. We can be ready to help you as you see the need."
They worked it out, then sat together for a moment, most of them saying nothing as Bardo bled on the floor dead as a door knob as the human would say. It would take a while before they worked out the plan to have Cord go back and explain this to his mechs. When he did, there wouldn't be a one of them that wasn't relieved that dark and dangerous mech was dead.
=0=In the darkness of the night
They came upon the two trucks who'd been blown off the road into a ditch. Stepping down, Springer looked into the cab where a number of humans were sitting with more in the back. "I do declare I've found the problem." He grinned at them.
:SPRINGER! A GUST OF WIND GOT US!: a blond human inside said over the comm line. :HOW CAN WE GET OUT OF THIS?:
Springer glanced at the others who had dismounted, then joined him. "I think we can set it to rights."
Drift nodded, then helped Springer set the two vehicles back on their wheels, then push them onto the road. After a moment of chat, they continued onward toward Earth2.
They both watched them go, then glanced at each other.
"Did you see Cam Frazer in the second car?" Springer asked with surprise.
"I did. Didn't I? I thought he was still in jail," Drift said.
"Its been six months, right? It feels like six years," Springer replied. "I want to be at the hearing about his expulsion."
"You and me both," Drift said as they mounted up to follow along. The vehicles were ahead but they were closing ground when they turned into the drive way to go to the habitat doors.
The vehicles reached the doors, then drove inside to park at the motor pool portion of the interior space. When the lights changed, the passengers climbed out. Most of them were returning from other habitats but a drive by at the Sciences Metro station that also served civilian traffic to the prison to pick up Frazer had been detoured. No one wanted to do it but Harris had asked for his return.
They walked inside, pausing by their lockers to put their gear away, then headed toward the lights inside.
Frazer put up his gear, then walked to his parents who were standing by the door to hug them.
"Welcome back, son," his mom said. "We would have picked you up but the wind outside is gusty and its dangerous to drive."
"That's okay," Cam said as he walked between his parents to the motor pool. The short drive to the elevators would be a happy one for his mom but none of them would speak about the upcoming hearing. At least not tonight.
=0=RTR Tools earlier
They set their smelters to night settings, then walked into the store front to sort things out. It had been a busy orn with people coming in to pick up things or order them. Christmas Surprise was coming eventually and there could never be enough beautiful surprises.
"What do you think about our little Tell?" Ravel asked as he wiped the counter top to be ready for the next orn. "I wonder if he's hearing anything yet."
"I don't know," Tie Down said. "I hope so. That's one very fine little baby."
"He is. He has very fine genitors. I'm very proud of our boys in the way they've risen to the occasion. What a fine pair of fathers they're turning out to be."
Tie grinned at Ravel. "They are. Are you finished?"
"I am now," Ravel said as he put his cleaning things back under the counter.
They would set the alarms, shut off the open sign, then lock the doors behind them. A short walk to the Tower would be had and a shorter ride upward would bring them home.
"HI!" Corr said as he opened the door to his apartment "Come in, infants."
Ravel and Tie Down walked into the shared apartment of their genitors.
"How are you feeling?" Ravel asked Corr. "We came to see if there's anything you need."
"How about some pie and a chat?" Docker asked with a smile.
They would. The pie would be great and the chat just what a long day needed in the end.
=0=Elsewhere
"What the frag, Flipper," Alor said. He grinned at the cow who was sitting on the couch watching the television. "'Jack has spoiled you rotten."
"Ada."
"What, Scout?"
"Why is Flipper sitting on the couch?" The little Ironhide miniature walked over to crawl onto the couch. He sat, then patted the cow. "I love my cow."
Alor laughed. "Your cow loves you."
=0=E2
They sat on the lip of the crater in which Earth2 was settled watching the humans enter the facility. Cameron Frazer appeared to be among them. Things would heat up soon given the second part of the sentence that Prime had imposed.
"Do you think Prime is going to ban him from on world?" someone asked.
"No. I think Optimus is intrigued by Harris's gall. They have a dance of doom going. I'd be very surprised if he did," Springer replied.
They watched a moment, then rode onward. The Consulate had a tower fall from a rogue gust of wind. They would be there to hold down the fort until Public Works arrived. It would be very gusty.
=0=E2
He sat on a chair by the window watching the wind howl outside. It would rage, then subside before raging again. He was very aware that the bots had ended the massive sandstorms that would form planet wide and bury Mars for months on end. He was also aware that they still got inclement weather, though it wasn't as powerful and long lasting as before they came.
Martin Polaski aka Silas aka Leland Bishop was relaxing after a day of work at a job he had come to really love. He was in charge of security and the mercs were part of his charge. He had kept mostly to himself after work as he studied things and how they functioned here.
The mercs didn't like him but after a dust up with Johnson they fell into line. He was a tough cold and smart leader. They didn't like him but they obeyed. He was glad. They were more an annoyance at the moment than a help. He spent all his time deep diving, going through departments and documents in the guise of his job. What he really was doing was learning the system and its ways.
Leland Bishop knew what he was doing. He also knew that he would take Owen Harris down bit by bit until there was as little left of him in the end as he himself felt being Harris's slave.
It was a pleasant evening for Martin Polaski as he watched the lights of the cities beyond. He had finally made it to another planet among aliens as grand and strange as anything he could have conjured in his wildest dreams.
Silas was a very, very happy man.
=0=TBC 9-28-2021