The Diego Diaries: Sun Dance (dd7 149)
Then Tulsa began to talk.
It was silent among those who listened as he explained the numerous fail safes that were built into the system for recalls. There were seventeen devices that could be carried among the leadership which would trip the system in any number and order that they were programmed to commence. There were mass devices installed in the work areas and open spaces of the entire colony that could transmit the signal to recall by sirens. It was thorough, diabolical and when he was finished it was clear that Tulsa had emptied his guts.
Prime glanced at Prowl who stepped aside to send the entire recording to Springer and Drift back at Sun Base. Prime stared at them, the uncertain and emotional group. "You would do well to tell me that you have been completely forthcoming. I do not wish to find dangers, fail safes or other booby traps when we look."
"That's all of it," Tulsa said. "What now, Prime?"
"You are flagged war criminals from before The Fall. This colony is a war crime as well, holding slaves and following the path of The System. You traded our technology with hostile alien societies in violation of the Tyrest Treaties. There are many things that must be discovered but that is the start. You are now my prisoners and you will be held pending investigation, then trial … a Primal Hearing with Special Circumstances."
They gasped as he said that, then Machlis said, "You would do that would you? You would do that to us?"
"No," Prowl said as he walked back to the group. "You did that to yourselves."
"Warden, I commend them into your custody," Prime said.
"Thank you, Lord Optimus. I'll handle this going forward," Gee-Gee said with a slight bow. She watched Prowl and Prime call a bridge, then enter it to disappear. Then she turned back to the prisoners. She was seething inside. "You're my prisoners. I'm warden here. I'm also Guiding Hand. What you've done is for the courts and Pantheon to decide but for now you are mine. You will obey me and anyone who works here without issue or you'll be jailed separately in administrative segregation which is no picnic I assure you." She glanced at the mechs standing beside her. "Take them to the new prisoner's holding area. I will be there shortly."
The mechs nodded, then pointed down the road. The prisoners hesitated, then began to walk that way. They would have to pass by the jailed inmates who let them know loudly what they thought of them. It would be a long and disorienting walk to jail.
=0=Stepping out
Prime and Prowl walked toward the Operational Center at Sun Base, then entered. All of the leadership of Homeland and the resistance here among the enslaved were there relaxing in the big room. They stood when Prime entered, then bowed.
Buro, the little priest glanced at Prowl. "Commander, I'm told that the Temple is restored on your colony world and that some of my dearest colleagues and friends are there."
"They are," Prowl said. "Would you like to go there now?"
"I cannot leave the people. They need me but I'm hoping that some of them can come here to help me give comfort and support. The change of circumstances is so great I'm afraid for everyone," Buro said in his gentle voice. It was uncanny how kind and sweet the priests were, even this far away from the AllSpark.
"I will arrange it," Stealth said. "That is ..." He trailed off as his anxiety rose. It was clear that the Diaspora had taken a toll. The quiet and amusing Amma that Prowl remembered well then was uncertain and anxious now.
"I'll help you, Amma," Prowl said gently. "Come with me both of you," he said as he gestured for Buro to follow him to a comm channel nearby. They did and the three began to call to Mars to figure out how to facilitate Buro's request.
At that moment Ratchet walked in with equipment and techs. He set things up swiftly, then turned to Prime. "I'm ready."
Prime looked at the staff who were still there watching and waiting, some of them with their families gathered to them. Babies, toddlers and youngling kids stared at the newcomers with big unblinking optics as they were enveloped in the arms of their genitors. Some of the elders of families were here as well, rushing to the Center when the riots broke out. "I would like you to make a line, all of you who live here. Commander Ratchet would like to scan you for medical."
They glanced at each other then began to make a line, all of them together. Ratchet grinned at the first two, a tall pair of handsome mechs and a small child. "What I want to do is scan you and see what's what. This is the easiest way. Just stand here and I'll use this wand to scan your body. All the information about you will show up on the data monitor and the infants here will tell me what you need. Okay?" he asked cheerfully.
The two shifted uneasily, then nodded.
Ratchet scanned both mechs and the little child. He turned to the techs who worked on the data then glanced up with a nod. Ratchet turned to the two mechs, then looked at the others. "I guess you need to be know and there's no easy manner. Do you remember them putting anything into your helms? Small and slender data wafers of a type?"
The big mech nodded. "The control device. All of us have it. What can you do? It keeps us in fear of our lives," he asked. The room's temperature seemed to drop precipitously. "We're aware of it, those of us here. Its the only thing that kept their side alive."
"We can remove it. All you have to do is sit and allow us to take them out. Then you'll be free. We also need you to not say a word to the others. They're having an emotional breakdown out there. Let them have their moment. Then we can do this group by group, removing them to somewhere else when finished while we do the others. I don't want panic or fear here. You've had enough."
The mech glanced at the others who looked ill with anxiety, then Ratchet. "Alright. I'll help you. Just get my bond and daughter out of here."
"I'm staying," his bond said firmly. "We're all going or we're all staying."
"You can help us," Ratchet said.
Prime sat down on a chair to watch as Ratchet organized the group to sit and allow their helms to be opened. Techs and medics who bridged in to do more of the same elsewhere helped get this group repaired. It was revolting to the non medical personnel there to see a helm plate be removed, the interior of someone's personality and soul be scanned, then long tweezers reach in to pull out two slim silver wafers.
It made a lot of bad good to see the plates put back on and a mech or femme nearly weak with relief stand to make way for another. It didn't take long, such was the practice of the teams here who had cleared Mars, then Cybertron of the scourge.
When the last child was repaired, Prime rose. "You need to work on the entire population. What do you need, who and how much?"
"We can help," the big mech said as he picked up his daughter. She was sleepy and lay on his shoulder drowsing.
"You can help me with the population," Ratchet said. "Go to Prowl and work out zones that we can hit so it'll go faster and we don't miss anyone. The sooner we do this for everyone the better. I want soldiers in every zone in case someone comes apart at the seams and I don't want violence. The sooner we help everyone the better. Some of the locals here can't have had very good lives so we can't count on them being good with this. Especially, Prime, if they don't know." He looked at the big mech, Dobro. "Do they?"
"No," Dobro said as he shook his helm. "We were told because we work here and we could know what they did. They told us to keep us quiet."
"Fraggers," Prowl hissed. "Let's divide up the area and see what we can do. I'm going to ask Bridge Control to set a scan for this device when we transport everyone away. I don't want anyone missed. The bridge will alert us to anyone who might have been passed over."
Ratchet nodded. "I need teams. I'll bring them together through a general all call for their specialty. They were the ones who did Mars and Cybertron. They'll be good to go for this. We saw all manner of slag on Cybertron when we set out to eliminate these devices."
Prime nodded. "I would like the leadership of the resistance as well as you, Styre to come with me to the conference room nearby to discuss evacuation. I would like it to be as gentle as possible. I am not remiss for your people to bring with them what they will."
The group walked to the conference room nearby where they sat and the door closed behind them.
Out in the colony, Springer and Drift gathered up the guards, administrators and others among the high caste elite who were trapped, beaten and otherwise inconvenienced by the suddenly freed populace. They were feted, hugged and otherwise celebrated as they liberated the ruling class from the plebes. They had beer with the locals, danced a few dances in the streets, met elders, children and adults who were overwhelmed at the sudden freedom that they were given and made their way to all the places where the oppressors were holed up.
It was a smirking group of mechs who made their way to the colonial center with a large handful of 'bad guys'. The others were gathered up as they surrendered and were freed from the mobs who wanted them dead. They were loaded into ships and flown to the bridge for transport to Mars. That didn't count their families who were gathered into safe zones to be guarded until Prime decided what to do with them.
They were a large number.
Springer and Drift walked into the Command Center, then watched a moment as more mechs, femmes, elders and children were brought in and sat down to get detonators taken out of their helms. It was a sickening sight to see.
"What's the status thus far?" Prowl said as he walked to the pair.
"We have all the guards and outlying fraggers corralled. Some of them have been transported to Mars. Their families and others are being held in buildings everywhere until Prime decides what to do with them. The civilians are getting ripped and dancing. So far, so good. I called for troops to maintain the peace here because something tells me that this is going to take a while." Springer said.
"It may," Prowl replied. "Keep the peace. Don't let this turn into a vengeful riot situation."
"On it," Springer said as the sound of big ships could be heard landing outside. They were transports carrying troops and Seekers to be peacekeepers for the transitional period.
It would be a bit of a stretch to say that this would flow easily or quickly. They had 3,111,000 individuals to check and treat before they could even begin to take anyone anywhere. They would in the end. They would do it one cleared batch of individuals at a time, them and their possessions. It wouldn't be much but for some it would be all they had of their old life, the one that they had before this happened to them.
=0=The Hourly News
"We've just received a message from the Office of the Primes. It would appear that a pair of colonies in the Burren have been discovered and are in the process of being assisted for transport to Mars. There's little released new information other than both of them are very large and advanced..."
They worked quietly together as the radio played, a pair of mechs that were almost supernaturally well disposed to each other. They were working on trans-dimensional bridging in their private shop, the one where they came everyday to attempt to resolve nearly insurmountable physics and mathematical probabilities. They heard the news but they didn't comment. They were calculating. When they worked the rest of the world seemed to disappear.
Shadow and Zenith didn't really hear the news that the colony that held the genitors of their son-in-law had been discovered. They wouldn't know for a while longer. No one would on Mars.
=0=TBC 12-05-19
My family on Dad's side came from Scotland. There's a beautiful ballad that I love called 'Hector the Hero'. It's on Pandora and is performed by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards on their album, "Spirit of the Highlands". It sort of reminds me of Optimus, this grand and classy spirit and I like to listen to it when I write him. Its an undaunted and tremendously beautiful melody. :D:D:D