The Diego Diaries: Stuff and Puff (dd7 239)
=0=Autobot City Medical Center
Lucien walked to his office after lunch with Lazlo. They had met up at The Diner On The Corner to discuss the weekend which included 'the squad' gallivanting around the colony with the mad diplomat for whom he worked. They would dine out, go bowling at a new place called The Pin Gallery, go somewhere for drinks and dessert, then hopefully come home without being arrested.
Walking in, nodding to the staff who worked in the outer offices, he entered his own and sat. Piled on his desk was new work next to the old. He didn't mind. The humans were a cagey bunch and they were as Machiavellian as any industrialist or politician on Cybertron in the orn. He actually had a good time figuring out the subtext, having conference calls with those involved, then steering the direction of the project under review.
Sitting forward to begin, he looked at the data pad on the top. It was something associated with the space station he'd heard about on the news last night when the project was reported upon for its final review and placement near the Midway Array …
"In other news," Lim-Lee began on her last hourly broadcast of the orn before her shift was over, "The Office of Strategic Communications along with the Office of Economic Development and the Secretariat of State have issued communiques stating that the last review and inspection of the space station that will be placed halfway between Earth and Mars has concluded to the satisfaction of the Prime of Cybertron and the Empire.
"The station which is being named The Prima Station of Cybertron is being towed from its orbit around Saturn where it was constructed with assistance from the Saturn Shipyard. It is a magnificent structure," she said as images began to play. "It has 160 levels of habitation and work, will house a beginning station complement of 10,000 individuals who have been hired to work at specific occupations with future expansions bringing the total to 50,000 over all.
"There are levels given over to experimental agriculture, levels for manufacture and hard science as well as those for living quarters. A township has been constructed to recreate an urban area for the comfort and usefulness of the residents. Amenities are available to ensure health and well being. There is an entire level that has been terraformed with different environments from Earth for the well being of those living there and to help understand how to manage such things in difficult environments.
"The crew of the station will be given opportunities for education through the University of Mars, the Museum of Cybertron at Mars, the public library system and other educational oriented institutions and groups. The crew who will be bringing their families to live there as well have elected to construct their school system for children on the Martian model. They will be affiliated, staffed and administered under the direction of the Autobot City Unified School District with oversight by the School Board and the superintendent for all education in the empire, Herling of Capital City and his bond, Nova of Iacon who is in charge of the daily operation of the district. Their curriculum, teaching methods and school orn will be that of our own.
"The first arrivals will be coming in three orns, those who are going to be departmental heads and other officials within the station. The station itself will be commanded by Cisco of Altihex who has a vast background in running space stations. He will be senior authority and the crew in the operational center will be his to command. The operational center and its bridges, technology and access will be restricted for the human population due to proprietary tech and treaties the same as every other human habitation.
"The policing force will be forty for now, with 10 of them officers from the Day and Night Watch from the Martian station. The other thirty humans who comprise the force and this ten will be under the command and control of Commander Springer of Polyhex who is Commandant of the Watch and his sub commander, Commander Drift of Kaon. This is the model that is operational at Earth 1 and Earth 2 as well as Unidad Terra 1. All of the security is subject to Commander Springer and the Prime as per treaty and lease agreements for those habitats.
"There are plans to make the station part of the programming offered by The Resort of Autobot City. Plans are underway to create in the station a hotel and restaurant which would house up to 500 individuals at a time. It is undecided if that will be a separate plan for tourism independent of the Resort itself. The venture will be administrated and operated by The Resort Group which runs The Resort of Autobot City itself. When they finalized the plans with Prime, then we will update you on the decisions.
"The human population of Mars with the inclusion of 10,000 more humans not counting their dependents and those who come here to be with their families under temporary immigrant visas comes to 71,504 with dependents and other family who have emigrated here to live and/or assist. When the population stabilizes at the station with extra family and friends who come to stay on visa permits, all of the sites will top the original single site request. The original plan for a human habitat here was to house 80,000 humans working in an autonomous human habitat situated some distance from the colony. It wished to be able to explore and exploit the planet and its resources but the Prime didn't agree to that plan.
"The habitats at the moment are N.E.S.T Headquarters of the United Nations of Earth, The Resort of Autobot City, Earth 1, Earth2, Unidad Terra 1, The Consulate of the United Nations of Earth, The Family Tower, The Sciences Habitat and now, The Prima Station of Cybertron. It should be noted that all of the habitats with the exception of the Hu-An are the property of the Prime of Cybertron and Autobot Nation though the humans use them through lease agreements.
"The Hu-An people were given ownership of their habitat and all needed and requested expansions into the future by Optimus Prime as a gesture of his esteem for them and their culture. They are the only group living among us that owns their own property.
"As it stands, the station will be placed in its permanent space with the skeleton crew arriving tomorrow. It will be brought up to its full complement of crew and dependents over the course of three weeks Earth time to allow for shake downs of different systems and departments before the population begins to arrive in force. We will be doing programming to show The People their newest property and the joint venture between the humans of Earth and us.
"When we come back to the news after a break for the Community Bulletin Board, we will have sports and weather. We will also have an announcement about the football games that have been delayed due to injury to players on some of the teams during recent combat on Cybertron. We'll be right back," Lim-Lee said with her beautiful smile.
=0=Earth2
"I didn't know that the Hu-An owned their habitat. I do know that when they want an expansion, they get it," Kyle Davis said with a slight tone of disgruntlement.
"I didn't either," Owen Harris said with interest. "Intriguing ..."
"If you say so, Owen," Mariah Harris-Davis said. "I want to have a list of the leadership of the station as soon as possible so we can issue invitations to a dinner or some kind of get together. It always helps when we know each other, especially when we're no longer holding pride of place."
Owen grinned slightly. "You have station envy, do you?"
Mariah glanced at him with a knowing smirk. "And you don't?"
Owen didn't answer. He didn't have to.
=0=Ratchet
He had concluded the meeting at the Ops Center conference room, shot the shit with Prowl a moment, got the word on the agenda of the staff meeting the next orn, the first Prime would be back to attend … 'lucky, him' … and galloped off to do his home bound rounds. A certain old mech who used to live in a padded costume to minimize his nearly fatal fragility with protoform wasting was now up and walking around. A certain technique of stimulating its growth taught by a hedge doctor to an acolyte long ago was paying dividends.
He disappeared into the early afternoon crowd.
=0=Up there
Optimus Prime found himself dozing off as he sat in his chair with some work, 'not all of it, Optimus … you have to rest' stacked on the table beside him. He had been sucked into a 'Virginian' festival and found himself mellowed out in the stories of the old time western program.
The story was simple.
A mysterious man from Virginia who was only known as The Virginian had come west, perhaps to escape a duel over a woman and had become the foreman of a rich man's big ranch. In the book the show was based upon, he had a problem with a disreputable cowboy named Trampus but on the show they were friends. It was good, held up and he liked it.
The sunlight was streaming in and it had led to a drowse that he had almost never taken up because he was Cybertronian and could go on forever and because he was a self denying slagger who always put himself last. Sitting at home when things needed done was not his style but he also wanted the hurts he had to fully heal so he wouldn't have to mess with his internal controls to manage pain any more.
Ratchet had given him the El Kabong on continuing that practice now that they had time and opportunity to do things right. Ratchet also didn't tell him about the extensive welding and rebuilds he had done with both of Prime's legs and his arm when he was working on his injuries. Things that had accumulated over eons were finally on the mend and that's why it was taking longer.
Prime just thought he was old.
The door opened and his ada, Kestrel peered inside. "Orion?" he asked softly.
"I am here, Ada," Prime said. "Come in."
Kestrel strolled in, moving things to the kitchen from his lunch, then began to tidy up a bit.
Optimus watched him, loving every movement and turn of his ada who was so gentle and good. "You do not have to do that."
Kes looked at him. "I think so to help Prowl." He sat down on Prowl's chair and patted his son's servo. "How do you feel, Orion?"
"I feel infinitely better. I think some of the pains I used to have are gone," Optimus opined.
"Maybe Ratchet did more for you than just the latest wounds, son. I hope so. I do not like to think of you hurt and having to do so much," Kes said as he sat back.
"That goes both ways," Optimus said. "I sent a team to find you. I was so afraid for you, that Megatron might get to you first."
"The guards, our wonderful mechs got us away," Kes said. "All in all, its come to a good end so neither of us have to regret."
"I do sometimes," Optimus said. "I regret that my ammas and appas aren't here to enjoy the children."
"It did me a lot of good to hear that they are safe and sound in the Matrix. Our debacle was so debilitating," Kes said. "I was never more than intensely proud of you. Both of us, Tagg and me."
"We get a second chance," Optimus said as he took his ada's servo into his own.
"I am amazed that the station is so wonderful," Kes said. "Have you been there yet?"
"Only on the sign offs and inspections," Prime replied. "I will tour it fully when the humans are there."
"I went to see Jetta's genitors. They're doing better. The trauma runs deep," Kes said. "The idea that your children are harmed or lost is a terrible feeling. I want them to find themselves. We had so much fun together, Corsair, Imaldo and us. We want to help them find their way here."
"That would be a good thing," Optimus said. "You have a lot to share about the experience and maybe you can help them with counseling."
"We have talked to Jetta and Mack about it. We will help them. I am sad for Hauser. I hope his family comes, too," Kes said.
"This place is made of miracles, Ada. We will hold the good thought," Optimus said gently.
Kes grinned at him, then stared at the screen. "What is this show, Orion? I see that its a western drama, correct?" he asked.
Prime nodded. "It's called 'The Magnificent Seven'."
They would sit together and watch it. They would agree that it was magnificent.
=0=Far away in a hole in the ground
"This was the result of Optimus Prime's failures," Rockwell said.
Sun laughed. "Sad little mech. The decline and war had started before Optimus ascended. Sentinel was already deploying troops to kill our people because they didn't want their children to starve. Optimus was the only hope we had to avoid all out war but you and your ideas prevented that. You didn't support him. You and your ideas alienated the army and they went to Megatron. That there was anyone to escape Cybertron, it was because of Prime's efforts. This is on you, infant. You can't pass this slag off on anyone else."
Then Sun tossed the rock onto the tail section of a rocket.
=0=TBC 3-25-2020. 4-10-2020
Take care out there and know you are loved. -Me