The Diego Diaries: Things Moving Onward (dd7 3)
(Note at the bottom)
=0=Tennyson
They sat around the table. It was late on Mars, 0350 on the TMC. Here, it was ship time and that was whatever Mars was. Ships from Mars ran Mars Time and TMC while ships from space and Cybertron ran on the master clock at the HQ in Iacon in the Citadel. It was the only way to keep things straight.
Ratchet sat with his peds up and a slight fatigue going. He had rerouted energy to his operational systems like they all could so he would go on and on. Cybertron had single days that were 47 joors long, give or take a breem, given their greater planetary size and wider orbit around what used to be their star. It would be shortened by 2 joors, their new orbit around Arcturus, when it happened.
Around him, everyone was doing their job, running data, keeping the fleet on par, assisting where they were supposed to and beating back the boredom with food, drink and quiet conversation.
Prime was sitting in his chair brooding. They were monitoring the placement of the last gas giant, the 'Uranus' planet to this system. The first three were doing well, though there was slightly more internal wave action than the safe zone required for the first one, the one closest to its new host.
"I do believe, Optimus, that this will even out. Nothing in our calculations nor in the simulations including worse case signify any kind of problem or runaway star scenario. I would just wait and it will play itself out. They have new stresses upon them, these free ranging planets and they include their own affects on each other as they now orbit together," Perceptor had told him.
"Thank you, Perceptor," Prime had said as the big red equipment bot walked back to his station once more.
Ratchet watched Prime, noting his tension about this and the future captures and transfers. This would take a good decaorn to watch and work out before more decisions were needed. The orbital paths of the planets in place were very long, widely spaced and mathematically sound.
This wasn't the first planet that any of them present had ever been part of moving. This was just the most important one.
The deck was quiet and even though the command center was brightly lit, the rest of the ship was in night mode. The hallways were dialed down, illumination indicating late evening or early morning planet side. The crew not directly linked into the program was off duty or working their shifts, keeping the vessel running and doing the service work.
Everyone had to eat.
Ironhide had checked in earlier and everyone was home and in beds then. The babies were determined to 'sleepin' with Pot, ADA, Atar!' which was hilarious and actually pretty sweet. They would continue as long as they wanted and it wasn't a problem. When Bos, Co-D and Reflector came to stay, the mites would go back to their berths.
Halo and Hero were insisting that they continue as well and when they did Prowler did, too. Three tiny peas in a pod slept in Hero's room with Cousin usually curled up on top of one of them.
Robby the Bruce and Spot sometimes shared the big round dog bed by the window or not depending on how Sunspot was doing. Now that others were sleeping with him, Spot was hanging with the cow, keeping company together when home.
It was all warm and cozy. Ratchet wished he were there and before Ironhide tripped off to bed himself, they had a rousing conversation together off line. Now he was recharging and Ratchet was sitting on a chair on a dreadnought some 36 odd light years away.
No rest for the wicked.
He grinned, then glanced at the elevator as a couple of youngling Home Guardsmen came out of it towing a gravity cart laden with food, drink, treats and other reasons for living.
It was all good.
=0=Earlier that same orn on Mars
They drove through the late afternoon traffic heading back to Earth2 after spending time with the planning commission about expanding their agricultural space into a big greenhouse that would be up on stilts like Earth2 was and linked as well by a walkway from it to the new set up.
They had contracted an architectural firm in Nova Cronum in Crater District 1 to draw up the blueprints and help them put together a presentation that would meet standards and have a better chance of passing inspection. They'd stood on a table to put the proposal forward…
:The greenhouse would be an extension of our agricultural capacity and allow us to experiment with different plants and various vegetation toward the day when we can grow food off world for the Earth. This greenhouse would expand our growth capacity an extra 600,000 square feet with the possibility of continuing expansion in future.
:We're working in tandem with Unidad to try to meet the food requirements of the total human population on world by 2022. This would be agricultural produce as well as eggs, milk and other animal byproducts. There would, however, never be the exploitation of animals for food themselves. That would never be a part of human exploration of space or dwelling for a lot of reasons including our personal decision about their welfare here. It isn't feasible on a scale large enough to be helpful and it isn't something that anyone here among the habitats wants for themselves:
It was a good thing because the bots who were very fond of a great deal of the fauna of Earth didn't want it either.
Andre Baudin continued. :We understand that this is a project that would be listed among others if you accept it and it will take time. But we are very strong about our desire to be self sufficient as much as possible and to do as much work here for the benefit of Earth as we can. Thank you, Commander. Do you have questions? We can answer any concerns that you have:
Magnus and the others did. The conversation would last another joor before the plans were accepted and listed on the next planning commission meeting after everyone including the colonial architect, Fortress Maximus studied them.
They pulled up at the light at Temple and Fortress. :What do you think, Owen?: Hamilton Brown asked.
Their driver was a security officer employed by the bots for Earth2. Nearly everyone there could drive and be out but to get them there as a group he was asked to do the honors.
:I think it went well. We're not asking for a space station. I'm sure that Fortress Maximus will find the plan sound, sensible and worthy:
Andre Baudin nodded. :I agree. We can expand our programs and include rarer plants and vegetation to see how they fare. It will be exciting stuff: the futurist said.
The light changed so they drove onward heading for home and hearth 20 minutes away.
=0=Springer and Company
It was getting on toward shift as they transformed, then walked into the barn. Their horses had been rounded up and were being prepped to go out. The shift for days was already walking out to go off duty as they walked in.
"What's the word?" Springer asked with a grin.
Tempest, the senior sargent of the day shift mounted patrol halted beside Springer as his 79 member team wandered onward. "We have a gang thing, that strange new one. We're finding their signs around. It doesn't seem a big problem yet but it could be. We need intel. The game fever has died down a bit. A few domestic things and some fist fights in bars. Nothing much considering the size of this place."
Springer nodded. They were edging toward 67,000,000 with the constant stream of refugees coming through the bridges from Dai Atlas and his camps. There were two more crater developments going on to create four of them along with everything and place else. That would mean nearly doubling the policing forces for the colony. His department was one of the biggest on world now. "I'll get Hauser on it."
They chatted a bit longer, then all parted their ways as the lights came on in the barns down the way where the saddles and harnesses were kept. They would harness up, climb on board, then divide up after getting the word from 'The Boss'. When Drift was finished delivering it, they would ride off and a powerful tool for assistance and peacekeeping along with hundreds of beat cops working in pairs would make their way forward once more.
Down the way, riding along the sidewalk together on their way to Iacon …
:Why do I have to deliver the briefing?:
Springer grinned. :Because:
Drift grinned back. :You've been hanging out with good old ma too much:
Springer chuckled. :Can there be such a thing as 'too much'?:
Drift shrugged. "Beats me."
A major call came so they headed out toward Iacon at a gallop. They would arrive just in time for the shooting.
=0=Out there
The last planet passed the critical period of three joors to continue onward in a new paradigm. It had a home at last. One could only speculate on how long these failed stars had been wandering. Many were the stars, failed or otherwise that ricocheted out of star nurseries, the victim of circumstances and events beyond their control. The universe was filled with them, wandering exoplanets and stars, failed and not.
Four of them would be the punching bags for what was probably the most unique planet in this or any other universe, Cybertron. As they were moving along their new paths, they were also taking hits, gathering debris, dust and other detritus to their pillowy-looking selves to an astonishing degree.
They would have to be many to clean up the degree of debris that populated the vast gravity well of Arcturus. They would do it surprisingly fast, same as those with Caminus and by doing so save the lives and quality of life for billions of the most unique species known thus far to their allies, the humans of Earth.
Soon the planet of their benefactors and protectors would begin its own journey through the tunnels of time to this relatively unprepossessing place. It would be long overdue for Primus to have a decent repose. It would fall to Prime to make the final decision.
No one in the scientific fleet would've had his job at the moment on a bet.
The evening wore ever onward.
=0=Late that night in a street fight in Iacon
The shooting had been brief, then those involved began to flee when the mounted cops came to back up those who were on beats. A fight over a football team had gotten out of hand and those who were worse for wear lay on the ground dripping energon. Partition who'd been called out along with another medic from nearby were working on them as they sat on the sidewalk.
Springer walked to the biggest one who'd been shot through the servo and knelt. "Who did this to you?"
He looked at Springer through pained optics. "I don't know."
"If you don't tell me and you know, you're obstructing the pursuit of justice and you can go to jail for it," Springer replied.
The mech, a big tough guy stared at Springer. "I don't know."
Springer arose then walked to another mech, then another. None of them knew the others. They were just guys in a bar who had disagreed with them, followed them out when they decided to leave, then the fight broke out. Guns came out when the big mech's friends began to get the upper hand. The mechs who did this were new to them.
Drift walked to the bar to get the film inside and out sent to Forensics. It would take a while to get things cleared and cleaned up but when they walked to their horses to go onward into the night, the fleet that wasn't on station to watch four planets circle a sun were already making their way through the Triggers to come home again.
=0=TBC 5-28-19 4DJB 6-8-19
NOTE: I put this together as part seven but somehow the designation for Transformers was not appended to it for people to find it when they search. I'm going to see if they can do it for me because I can't find a way to modify the data for this story to add 'Transformers'. If I can't I may have to delete this and do it again, loading the segments again right away. If that happens I will alert you. If it has to be done that way, then you'll have to alert, etc again. Yes, I am a doofus. :D:D:D