The Diego Diaries: Moving (dd7 2)
There was a request for stats on the story so far and they're at the end of this. :) :O :}
=0=On the flight deck of Tennyson three point five joors later
They were checking the stats just downloaded from the sensor equipment on the science vessels that were following the first gas giant on its course around the star, Arcturus. At the moment, all seemed to be going well in spite of the debris strikes that were landing on the gas giant which now included five major sections of a comet.
Prime watched the scientists working stoically, knowing that he had to present a calm collected image to those in the crew who were showing the affect of nerves. There were a lot of Home Guard here including a number of civilians who were part of the program.
This was important. This meant that Cybertron might have a chance to come to a world that would allow blue skies and possibilities again. It would also mean that families separated now would be within bridging distance from each other. It wouldn't take a Trigger to make it happen either, that was how close Arcturus would be to Mars.
Wheeljack glanced at Prime. "We see good things, Optimus. Our next area of concern was what would happen to the interior of this planet when it was added to the gravity well of Arcturus. We knew that there would be a lot of wave action internally when we moved it, rather like a bell ringing. We also knew that when it was gripped by Arcturus it would have an effect on it as well.
"We hoped that the effect of Arcturus's gravity would help calm the waves, causing an affect on them that would help to minimize their intensity by the pull of its gravity. It seems to be holding up well. This was our theory and it was the same way with Caminus when we moved her and added gas planets to clear out the system. All in all, we're ready for the next three."
Prime nodded. "This is your show, Wheeljack and Perceptor. I give you discretion."
Wheeljack turned to the pilot, then put his instructions on the comm system. "We have go for the next ones. We need to move all of the fleet but for Spiro to the new coordinates. Spiro, you stay and monitor. Acknowledge."
There were several acknowledgments as big ships began to move out. One went back through the Trigger funnel bearing the drone shuttles so they could bridge from here to the next target planet. When they were gone so were the two Trigger funnels. Trigger 3 was moving with the science ships heading for the next destination in this system. When they were ready, another gas giant would traverse through the bridge funnel to come out there for placement.
It was nerve wracking as hell.
=0=The Fortress, Mars
Jazz sat in his office after making arrangements for a broadcast this evening that would be fed to Earth as well through the MCA. Prime had decided there was no good way to break it to Earth that they were changing the star maps of the galaxy forever by moving planets here and there so he was going to tell them tonight.
Jazz would produce the broadcast and monitor reaction. Before they did that, Prime would inform the relevant groups and leaders on Earth about what they were doing and why. He didn't expect it to go well. It was one thing to understand that the bots were amazing and lived in an amazing science suffused world but moving planets? That might be the last straw for some.
It helped that there was a show on Netflix where humans were doing just that to save Earth from an expanding sun.
Maybe.
He was reviewing intel sent to him from Ghost on Earth and Smoke here on Mars. The kids were tracking the money trail across the Earth and working on the very low band attempts to contact the Decepticons by one of the cells in one was going to disturb their activities because the slaggers were using some of their tech it would seem to hide their activities. It was maddening but entertaining but infuriating but fun.
Jazz grinned. He would be glad when the news came that things were fine and dandy out there. Prime wasn't the only one who wanted to see a sunrise on Cybertron again some fine orn.
The afternoon would pass slowly as he worked.
=0=Out there
The giant gas planet came through well encased in the unified field that held it in place. It was as huge but more orange in color than the other. This one was bigger by a small but significant measure and would be placed in an orbit away from the first that was commensurate with that of Jupiter and Saturn. The next two after it would be the distance from these two of Neptune and Uranus along with the last one which would be Pluto-like in its pathway.
They would be the steel wall that would take the beating here that Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter took in the Sol System. Without them there fulfilling this function, there would be no Earth and even perhaps a solar system. It was a delicate amazing balance that the Sol System made to have things work out the way they did.
Prime sat silently watching as the planet moved forward towed by Trigger 3 as Triggers 1 and 2 held it fast. When it was lined up, the physics flawless and all things equal, they cut it loose as well.
The planet was huge and beautiful. It faltered a moment, then rolled onward heading into the darkness at speed. Before it got very far it would draw two asteroids into its deadly grip and thus, be the first to acquire moons. The shuttles had pulled back but were monitoring it, sending the data to everyone including Tennyson.
Prowl watched over Wheeljack's shoulder, listening to his ada and the computers talk to each other. Teletraan-Command was running the show, so precise and finely designed were the movements and actions needed to do this. They followed at a distance with the planet and its now three moons on screen.
"Three moons this fast," Ratchet said as he stood beside Prime. "It's a strong thing, that one."
"I hope so. It is going to clear this system so that Cybertron can live here without being bombarded," Prime said.
"When are you going to talk to the human honchos, then the rest of Earth?" Ratchet asked.
"Shortly. I want to see if the four can be inserted first, then be stable. I do not want to speak to this if it cannot be stable and fulfilled," Prime said.
"Jazz thinks its going to be tonight. Do you want me to tell him its going to be tomorrow afternoon at the earliest?" Ratchet asked.
Prime nodded. "That might be a good idea. The time it takes to make sure thing work is a good thing."
Ratchet nodded. "I agree. I'll let him know." Ratchet walked down deck to a station near the elevator. He called up Jazz whose face appeared on screen. "Hey, Jazz. We're not going to broadcast tonight. This is taking a bit of time. We have two more to insert into orbit, then we have to make sure they don't wander out of their lane and crash into each other."
Jazz grinned. "What's the likelihood?"
"Slim to none but no one wants to be wrong. We think maybe we can start getting the news together by tomorrow afternoon. We want to finish up here and then watch them. We have two more to go," Ratchet said.
"Is anyone coming back for the evening?" Jazz asked.
"Ironhide and Prowl are," Ratchet said. "I'm staying and so is Optimus. It's a white knuckle night as the humans say."
"They say a lot of stuff, the slaggers. Shit show is my current favorite," Jazz said with a chuckle. "Let me know what happens and we can go from there."
"Got it. Ratchet out," he said as he stood, then walked back to Prime. "I let him know. He says to tell him when its go and he's ready."
Prime nodded. "That will be fine. Send Ironhide and the others back. Anyone who is not essential to the operation can stand down."
Ratchet grinned. "I'll get us dinner when they go," he said as he walked to the table where everyone sat. "Go home. Anyone who doesn't have more than minimal physics can beat it. Take care of the kids. We can regroup tomorrow."
It was a snarky group that rose and gathered to go. Prowl and Prime discussed a number of things, then Prowl joined Venture and Ironhide with his elders and Venture to leave. Ratchet walked to the elevator with them, then went downward, sideways, then downward again to the mess hall.
He walked to the cooks in the galley, got food for Wheeljack, Perceptor, Tennyson, Prime, himself, Striker and Metroplex. Then he asked them to bring food and drink for the others and the crew on duty. He waited until they piled a gravity cart with lunch boxes and drinks, then followed him to the bridge.
It was quiet as everyone worked when they reached it, stepping out with much welcomed food and drinks. Handing his out, he gave Optimus his dinner and with his own in hand sat down in the navigator's seat to eat with Prime. It was quiet a moment as they did, then Ratchet sat back. "What do you think will be the new problems when Cybertron is that close and everyone wants to see their relatives?"
"We have to keep the same system in place. Everyone can make calls and we can do our best but I will not allow a stampede. We can have Social Services and the Refugee Bureau work out a plan. More communications available in the camps will allow families to reconnect. We have to do our best. Cybertron's security supersedes everything else."
Ratchet nodded. "It's going to be good to see the sun shine on our world again. Bright blue skies when the atmosphere is recreated… maybe we can get our atmosphere back sooner so humans can visit there some fine orn and breathe the air again."
"I would like that as well. I suppose that more humans will want to see Cybertron," Prime said.
"I can handle that. It might due them good to see what unfettered rage and greed can do to a world," Ratchet said.
"We have the third planet in transit, Prime," Perceptor said as he looked over his shoulder at Optimus. "We're going to move it into position now."
They stared at the front view port which had the images outside on screen. A huge planet was encased in a silvery box as it moved out of the tunnel of green fury that was the space bridge. It was held by Trigger 3 and underway.
"That's a big one. That's going to be placed in this system's Neptune orbit," Ratchet said.
It was towed to its coordinates, then the Trigger turned in the direction of its orbit to get up to the speed that it would need to be released. It was a tricky engineering feat to get the planet moving in the right direction fast enough, then get out of the way when the beam was cut off. It was the hardest part of the operation thus far.
Tennyson and the others kept pace with Trigger 3 as it sped up followed by the energy funnel of the other two bridges. They were holding it in place as Trigger 3 stabilized, then towed it. Faster and faster they went, then the bridges cut out managed by Teletraan-Command to make it happen the best and right way. Trigger 3 sped up, then swerved away as the giant planet with its rippling tidal waves of energy pushing through where it was blasting past with speed.
It sped onward, trailing a bit of its atmosphere before it fell back to be absorbed again. The shuttles pulled back to the bridge funnel, getting ready to go again for the last gas giant. Everyone watched this one even as they monitored the first two. It was holding together really well. They were caught in the gravity well of Arcturus but spaced far enough apart at different insertion points not to be a problem for each other.
All was balancing well so far.
=0=TBC 5-27-19 6-9-19
Happy Birthday, Sissy. :D
NOTES:
The Netflix show is called The Wandering Earth. Ironic, no?
Here are the stats of this story so far including Chronicles of Orion that a reader requested: :D
Chapters in series: 3,364
Words in series: 8,280,616
Pages read by readers: 1,724,289
Average words per segment: 2,462
My regard for my readers reading this straight through: Priceless
:D:D:D:D:D