The Diego Diaries: Continuum
(I had a power outage. We have a ton of snow and ice. Trees fall over onto lines or lines fall from the ice. If I ever miss more than a day until late spring, then that's what's happened this time of year.) HUGS! HERE WE GO!
=0=In a house
They walked inside to stand in the middle of the room and stare around with almost comical expressions of surprise at the space that their sons had told them would be their home now. Corsair walked to the windows by the kitchen to look out. The view was astonishing and in all directions there were cities and sights untold. He glanced at Jetta who was watching him nervously. "What is this place, son?"
"This is your house, you and Atar. We've decided that everyone gets to live well now, always. Its my dream, Ada, to do this for everyone. Orion would never allow us to live poorly again. This is our home. Your home. Your apartment is two down the hallway from me and Elita. I made arrangements to make that happen so we could take care of you."
Corsair stared at him, then Imaldo who was looking around the space with astonishment. "What do we do, Jetta?" he asked.
"Nothing. You just live. Given you don't feel well and need time to rest and catch up, you can live here and do that for as long as it takes. All those things you taught us, all of them are the laws here. No one needs to work if they can't and you can't. You're too ill and you need to rest. I don't know if you've had a good meal and a real rest in vorns. You will here. Mack and I will take care of you." Jetta walked to his father. "Come on, both of you. Let's look at your new house."
Jetta led the way to the hallway and showed them the spare bedroom, the wash rack and storage space where they could see spare blankets for both. They walked into the big berth room to see a bed made up for them. "You're going to lie down now and get some rest. When you get up we can eat together. We'll be in the house, too. One of us is going to be staying with you orn and night until you're back on your peds again."
They stared at him, then the berth. Hesitantly, they walked to it and lay down together.
Jetta covered them with Mack's help. "This blanket will keep you warm. Its made to do that. Ratchet said warmth helps healing. Just go to recharge and when you get up you'll feel better."
Corsair caught his servo. "Thank you, Jetta. When we wake up will you be here? This is a dream, isn't it. I dreamed about both of you this way before."
Jetta said down beside his ada. "I'm going to stay right here. I'll hold your servo. When you wake up you'll see that we're here. Okay? Just off line and rest."
Corsair stared at him for a moment, then drifted into an exhausted rest. It was silent as Mack walked to a chair nearby, then sat. Hauser took the other chair, then lay his helm back with weariness. The three of them would stay there until both woke up. When they did, Elita and Mack's bond, Lot would be there. They would meet their new son-in-law and enjoy the first takeout delivery of dinner of the rest of their lives.
Hauser's bond and three children would join them as well and it would be a very welcomed time for all of them.
=0=Later that afternoon at the Medical Center
Prowl stood beside the berth where Optimus Prime was sitting. He sat with his helm hanging from grogginess that still lingered. The techs had just left after finding his procedure and the resultant healing at par. All frequencies he could hear and clarity was restored but the level of reception would have to be adjusted later when things settled in the wounds. Every sound he heard was overly loud. :When we get you home you can rest:
:The noise level is difficult: Prime replied off line. That was the only path they had for communication that wasn't unbearable.
Ratchet walked in after a conference with everyone. He grinned at Prime. :Well, don't you look like slag:
Prime glanced at him. :Thanks. I try:
Ratchet snickered, then glanced at the door. :Time to go. I have a pair of muffs coming to put over your audials to get you home. Its going to be a short bridge to your house from our small bridge on the twentieth floor. Let's go if you can. Go slow:
A young femme walked in with a pair of oversized headphones ear muff-like in design that covered the entire audial. Ratchet took them, then carefully affixed them onto Optimus's head. He looked amusing but they blocked all sound. He looked relieved.
"Come on," Ratchet said as he led the way to the door and down the hallway to the elevator.
Prime and Prowl followed slowly until they reached the elevator, then stepped inside. Down they went, then off they walked toward a small bridge room for this and that transports around the colony, usually delicate or special cases that couldn't come and go any other way. They entered the room, the bridge was struck and through it the three walked, coming out into Prime and Prowl's house in the building next door. The bridge died behind them.
Ratchet watched as Prime walked to his favorite chair, then sat wearily. :You're not a spring chicken so its going to take a bit longer to bounce back but you will. Home Healthcare is coming by every morning for the next three orns. They're going to measure your audials, check the levels of sound reception, then all the rest of your dents and dings. I replaced three big struts, Optimus. That's a lot of surgery. You're off duty for three orns and if something comes up we'll see:
:I will do my duty, Ratchet: Prime said as he removed the ear muffs. :Do you mind if I keep these a little while?:
:Nope: Ratchet replied with a grin. :So … are you set or would you like to recline on your berth, or what the rest of us call it … Texas?:
Prime grinned. :Jealous, much?:
:Not really. Why the other night in the ber-:
A hard punch in the arm took care of that slag as Prowl took the initiative.
Ratchet frowned at him. "Slagger. Are you staying or should I? What about the kids?"
"I'm staying for the rest of the afternoon and will work from here. The children are parceled out to ammas and appas. Possibility will be staying here at night but the rest of them are going to be camping with the family until the noise level is regulated."
"That may take an orn or two," Ratchet said.
"We'll take it orn by orn," Prowl replied.
"Alright. Call me if you need me," Ratchet said as he walked to the door to leave.
They watched him go, then Prowl turned to Prime. :Can I get you anything?:
:No. I am fine: Prime said as he settled into his chair. :I think I just need to rest my optics:
Prowl nodded. :I will be in the office. Call me for anything: He studied Optimus, then walked down the hallway to the office they shared. He would have Optimus on his sensors the entire time he was there.
Optimus would doze in his chair for joors.
=0=Barron and the Team
They sat in Barron's office going over the preliminary information concerning some 2,500 individuals from Sun Base of which there was evidence to indicate 32 of them had committed crimes during the administration of their colony. Most of them were part of the governing body, overseers or department heads and did things that transgressed the law but the leadership which composed about 32 individuals were the ones who were in the most potential trouble.
"When we get the information from Ops Center and the War Crimes Committee, then we can work out what the plan is for investigating these cases, gathering evidence for indictments and the steps after that. I'm clear from the degree of alleged malfeasance here along with outstanding warrants from Cybertron that we're looking at a Primal Hearing with Special Circumstances," Barron said.
"I agree," Coln-2 replied. He glanced at Blackstone. "I can assume you'll assign counsel, then oversee that war crimes committee hearing part of this?"
Blackstone nodded. "I have a team of lawyers who've taken time since Sentinel's trial to learn defenses for such individuals and who've studied relevant case law, other trials and precedents. They're very capable of representing the accused. The problem as always is getting cooperation from the defendants. We've had trouble with them understanding the severity of their condition and frankly, from what I've been told about Machlis and some of them, these may be the most reluctant to cooperate."
"We can only do what they allow," Coln said sympathetically. "You can't make them do what they don't want to do, Blackstone."
"No," he said, "but it wearies me."
The group commiserated with him, then continued onward going through the new case load and that from before. Not everyone coming here as a refugee had clean servos. The afternoon would wind on quietly.
=0=Lissie
She sat by the window of her apartment, the one she shared with Steiner. They were incredibly close, the two of them. He's gone back to work after helping her set up the cabs that would take her to her detailing appointment, her calligraphy etching for her servo and a nice lunch at the Diner On The Corner where he arranged for Springer and some of the others to meet her. It was adorable to watch him get things organized but she let him without comment. Allowing kindness and love was a good thing.
He'd gone off and she was waiting for the cab. The Paint Box was a favored detailer among the military class and she had pits and dings that no femme of substance would allow to remain if there was an opportunity to primp. The detailer of her calligraphy was a legend, old friend and someone no one could see due to bookings ahead.
He would see her.
A pre-set alarm indicated her cab was arriving so she rose slowly and walked stiffly to the door. A swift ride down and she was sitting in a cab heading for The City. It would be a fine and dandy afternoon for Lissie of Iacon, legend and lady of some noble repute.
=0=The plains south of Tyger Pax
They settled, eleven metrotitan cities arrayed close enough together to be able to see each other and create a beautiful rectangular habitation zone that would be on line when the remaining infrastructure details and highways were completed. They would be reserve habitation that would plug a hole between Crater District 4's looming housing limit capacity and the opening for dwellings in the nearly completed Crater District 5 nearby. The Bureau of Refugees and the Public Housing Authority would send mechs and femmes to live there in Riot, the ship that had pulled Banner to safety here when they were fleeing pirates while they waited for Crater District 5.
They were still to be seated completely with their power and waste control lines that hooked them into the grid, fed them energon, locked in water and took things away. It was no small project seating one or two metrotitan ships but eleven … that was a thing. It would take Public Works, the construction and electrical workers unions and a lot of muscle to bring them on line as safe and reliable habitations. That they all needed upgrading and repair came as no surprise to anyone.
=0=Driving on the highway to The City
Venture headed home early from work at his office in the Governmental Building of Terra. He worked at the new building to free up City Hall in Autobot City and he liked it. When the children needed gathering, he was closer to them than Miler who worked at the Sciences Center east of the Prison and everyone else who were either off world or in The City. He had Miracle, Sojourner and Solus in his cab as he drove them toward Centurion to get Spirit and T-Bar. Rambler would take a bus from Intermediate #1 in Iacon which would deliver him later and allow his Appa to get there in time to take all of them to dinner at the Diner On The Corner with Amma Miler.
Possibility was in the care of Kestrel and Tagg who were going to visit with Optimus after they fed him, then most likely take him down the two floors where their apartment was in the same building to keep him until their son could tolerate sound again. Prowl had told them that they didn't have to given their busy schedule but they insisted.
All was well.
Venture reached the giant roundabout near the Mausoleum, joined it, then took the turn off to The City. He would arrive just as Miler stepped from another cab to greet Rambler walking off his school bus with the titanic children. It would be a very jolly gathering.
=0=Ironhide
He'd come back from Cybertron after helping his elders with a munitions problem, then made the rounds. Five infants stood on the curb with him as a bus drove up. Venture waited for Rambler. They chatted a moment, then Rambler joined him.
Miler who had arrived at the same time as the bus.
Venture grinned at all the infants. "Isn't this just quite the show."
A babble of little kids explained how it was, then Ratchet walked up from the Med Center. It took a moment for everyone to calm down, then Ironhide grinned. "We're going to a steak house on 10th and Metro 3. You're welcome to come."
"We have a reservation at the Diner," Miler said. "Thank you, Ironhide. We're going to have to get these infants home to get home work done or we're going to be up all night."
They chatted away, watched six titanic kids take a cab to go home to Iacon, then everyone stared at each other.
"You still want to go to a steak house with them, a cow and a dog?" Ratchet asked.
Ironhide stared at them, then Ratchet. "Nah. Let's go to the Diner."
With that and a lot of whooping, a smiling little Seeker helped his old pas to wrangle a gaggle of infants down the street followed by a cow and a dog. It would be very amusing all in all.
It was good to be home again.
=0=TBC 3-7-2020 4-1-2020