The Diego Diaries: All Around the Watch Tower (dd7 277)
=0=Away
He floated in a sea of light. Everywhere he looked he saw white light. There was no up or down, no floor, ceiling or walls. There was just light. It wasn't like any he'd ever felt unless the several blessings that he had felt the past few years counted. He'd felt them in the Diaspora just like everyone else even as a renegade Decepticon.
He rolled over and looked around himself.
Only light. Everywhere.
It felt alive, the light, alive and warm. It was brilliantly white but it didn't hurt his optics. There were no adjustments to make. It was achingly white but harmed nothing about him. In fact, it gave him somehow the greatest and most deeply loving feeling of peace and safety that he'd ever felt. It was almost overwhelmingly loving and beautiful.
He relaxed, shuttering his optics as he floated. He didn't have the energy to say anything and he felt that words weren't necessary. He abstractly wondered why he wasn't afraid. Nothing about the light seemed dangerous or scary. It felt like being held by his ada and ammas. It felt comforting, relieving and safe.
=0=With him
They stood nearby on the same galactic plane. They were dimensions away from Mars and the world he'd lived in. They were near to the core of All That Is. They watched Cog in the light and felt relief.
Prima glanced at Kudon, his herald. "He will remain there as long as it takes. I wish for you to assist him, Kudon," he said. "He has suffered enough."
"I will do so, Lord Prima. Gratefully," Kudon said with a slight nod of his helm.
They watched him as he was held in the Light of The One. This was a stop for many who were so damaged that they required immediate intervention. This healing light, a brilliant glow of white would help him find his footing and place him in a condition that would be conducive to recovery. Otherwise, it would take forever.
Since time had no meaning on this side of the dimensional divide, they had all the time it would take even into forever. It would be a while before they stepped forward to take Cog away to a place where his family took him as an infant. It was a beautiful lake in the north of Cybertron and they would be there, these individuals who didn't survive the war. He would stay there as he blindly made his way back to himself. Kudon would stay with him until he did.
=0=Up there
They listened to the tale, then Prime waited as they digested it.
Prowl and Ratchet sat on chairs while Prime sat on the berth.
Springer and Drift were mulling the strange turn of events. It was still for a moment, then Springer shifted. "Well, I suppose its a relief that he won't be here hanging around."
Prime nodded. "Sometimes circumstances take away your reason. This mech was deeply mentally ill and now he is in the best and most capable hands possible. In the end, the path forward will be freer for all of us. Given his condition, he was not totally responsible for what he did."
"Well, he only blew us to slag ..." Drift said with a slight smirk. "Water under the bridge."
Ratchet grinned. "That's the Drift we all know and tolerate. I know it might not feel like justice but something about this tells me that it is." He pulled a meter to scan both. Then he frowned. "You've not been forthcoming about your condition. Tell me what's going on."
Drift stared at Ratchet. "What do you mean?"
Ratchet frowned again. "You've had your entire central strut replaced from your neck to your aft. There's a couple of things you have to concern yourself with and be forthcoming. First, if there's pain you tell me. Its magnitude is a signal about how the mend is going. If you overdue your movements you can damage the work we did and you'll have to have it done all over again. AGAIN. AS IN ALL OVER. Savvy?" he asked with a brilliant smile filled with barely contained malice and battle lust.
Drift recognizing the signs felt his sphincter valve flutter. "Uh, well ..."
"Well, nothing. I don't mind climbing inside your chassis again and ripping out the entirety of your spinal column with my bare servos. It isn't like I have other things to do. What's your pain level on a scale of 1-10?"
Drift thought. "About a 3."
"When you stand up do you feel any kind of drag in your lower extremities?" Ratchet asked.
Prowl snickered.
Drift smirked at Prowl. "When you've got it, flaunt it."
"You got it," Springer said with a smug grin. "So what does that mean?"
"If you put too much strain on the repairs they begin to fail. It'll feel like your aft is dragging on the ground. If that happens we have to do this again."
Drift considered that. "No. I don't feel that."
"And you aren't," Ratchet said. "I'm calling for your braces again."
Moaning and groaning commenced as the door opened and a tech came in with a gravity cart filled with metallic braces.
Picking up the first, Ratchet attached it to Drift's helm where it would stabilize his neck and take pressure off the surgically repaired parts of that area. He put a back brace on and as he did he welded both in place. Stepping back, he subbed his torch and stared critically at Drift. He grinned. "Get out of that, fragger."
"This is fragged," Drift said as he glanced stiffly at Springer who was frowning at both of them.
"So are my orders. You're staying here two more orns, Drift, for being an aft. You on the other hand can go home now but I suppose you'll stay here?" Ratchet asked.
"I will?" Springer asked as he smirked at Ratchet. "I will."
"Neither of you will be released for duty for a decaorn. You'll be confined to your apartment and I'm going to track your signatures. If you try to frag with me, then I'll bring out El Kabong," Ratchet said.
"El Kabong?" Prowl asked.
Ratchet unsubbed his little frying pan and a pen. He wrote on the back of it then flipped it for everyone to see. Underneath Ironhide's name was Drift and Springer's. "El Kabong."
Prime snickered, then laughed aloud. "You poor dumb fraggers."
Prowl rose with a snicker of his own. "We have to go back to the office. We have things to do. Normal things among normal mechs and femmes."
They traded slag, then Prime and Prowl left with relief. The door closed behind them.
Ratchet sat down again, then put up his peds. "Well, don't this just beat all?"
Springer smirked. "You like bossing mechs around."
"You just noticed? What do you need before I go and make crooked things straight?" Ratchet asked.
"You're never going to be normal are you?" Springer asked with a chuckle.
"Nope," Ratchet said. He dazzled them with a smile.
"Well, I could use something to eat. Maybe someone to fluff my pillow," Springer said as Drift nodded.
"Done deal," Ratchet said as he stood. "I sent for it and it should be here in a second." With that, Ratchet pulled the two tables for the berths over and put them in front of both mechs. He rearranged their berths, then set a waste basket between them. As he did, a rap was heard and the door opened.
A tall kid stepped in with a big box. "Hi. You ordered?"
"I did," Ratchet said as he took the box. They traded chat, then the kid left. Ratchet put the box down on the berth, then began to unload it. Up and up the heaps of all manner of boxed food went before them along with beer. He tossed Springer the remote for the nurses and the teevee. "Don't say I didn't do anything for ya, you slaggers, when you were laid up. Obey me or old El Kabong will be your new best friend." With that, he left them with a grin.
They both watched the door close, then glanced at each other.
"Oh joy," Springer said. "You need help there?"
"The beer," Drift said as he looked over the banquet to decide where to start first. :"This looks like Christmas Surprise."
Springer snickered as he uncapped Drift's beer, then his own. He handed Drift one, then they clinked bottles. "To familia."
Drift chuckled. "What you said."
It would be a pleasant afternoon in the room until school was out. Then 32 kids would come, including several more who appealed to their ammas and nanas for assistance in allowing enough parole for everyone to 'attend to the bosses' and hear more of Echo's romance story. The rest would appear through Cybertronian Zoom.
=0=Prima Station
They entered into the huge auditorium that allowed everyone to gather for events and meetings. Ratchet was coming and would be there in seconds to welcome the new group and tell what they needed to know and remember about living on the station. This meet up was delayed because of the explosion on Mars, something that was a hot topic here amongst the newest employees of Autobot Nation, Inc.
Cisco of Helex who was manager and director of the station waited on the stage for Ratchet to bridge in. It would be directly and would probably be shocking for those who were here and unused to such things, some of which were family members and others who were coming to live with their employee(s).
Most of the final group had arrived over the previous two days and the place was jumping with individuals working to put businesses on line, set up their work stations as well as run around to check out amenities. The downtown was as busy as any downtown in any place on Earth. Vehicles ran on the streets and pedestrians walked everywhere.
It was all very exciting.
School would start in three orns after this meet up since they were operating under the rules, regulations, curriculums however modified and time table of the Autobot City Unified School District. Teachers would be mentored, take coursework on the regular and get up to speed for the opening of school. They'd been in training since their hire and before the station came on line. It was a necessity since the bot system was so different and high powered. They would run a modified program with the idea of catching up with the district at some point.
The sound of a bridge opening up stilled the masses and drew Cisco's attention. Walking out of the energy blossom, his arms held wide in welcome and a huge smile on his face, Ratchet of Iacon made his entrance. He got a standing ovation. Curtsying and mugging for the multitude of cameras, he grinned at Cisco who smirked back at him. They'd gotten to be great friends over the course of this project given that like Unidad, Ratchet was the liaison and Primal coordinator for the station …
"Another project? Really?" he had said.
"Sure," Prime had replied.
They'd both howled with laughter …
"Well, aren't you just something? Welcome to Prima Station," he said to mass applause. He glanced at Cisco. "What's the drill?"
Cisco grinned, then turned to the audience, more than 7,000 of them. "Welcome. I'm Cisco of Helex and I'll run the station. I'm your supervisor and you'll report to me. Commander Ratchet is the Primal liaison and he'll be the gateway to all things necessary here, between Earth and Mars to make this operation happen. I'll turn it over to him now."
HUGE applause.
Ratchet smirked as he walked past him to the chairs nearby.
Cisco smirked back.
"Well, this project finally has come to pass. I know some of you wanted to be positioned between Saturn and Jupiter but we like to keep the shipping and travel lanes clean. Having you there if anything went wrong would be a huge logistical problem. You're part of the Prime of Cybertron's Empire and responsibility. His empire extends in physical actuality in a multi-level defensive sphere 150,000 light years in a 360 degree circle with this system and Cybertron in the middle of the last defend zone. We extend to the edge of the Bootes Constellation and down the Orion arm in three directions. We encompass this system, our own home world and its vast local group and colonial world territory as well as most of the stars humans can name in this region.
"We're placed here to protect you and to enhance contact between Mars and Earth. Prime's sphere of influence, the territory that he will defend includes a number of danger points. Razorclaw who is a Predicon and a smart dangerous opponent is located in the Epsilon Eridani area just over 10 light years from here and we have another group led by Ominous who is just about 13 light years away. They are both Decepticons and command very large groups that we keep in check constantly.
"It would be instructive for you to know that Cybertron is just over 800 light years from this system and it's edged by the remaining empire of the Decepticons, all of whom have not surrendered nor look likely to anytime soon.
"The humans involved in this asked for a lot. We created a lot. But we didn't compromise on location because the area isn't completely settled and secured. We've secured our territory with an iron fist but things can happen and you might find that being where you are beats being elsewhere. We've taken surrenders at the solar well that led to mass shooting and a running battle through the solar system. If you were there you'd be a problem that we don't need for defense.
"As it stands, here we are. We understand fully your zeal to be in space and learn, explore and expand. We just have to do it right. This station is right. In fact, its great. Let me tell you a few things. This station itself is named after one of the greatest individuals associated with our people that ever lived," he said as he began to orient the latest mob of humans into the fold. This would being the tally to nearly 80,000 humans. The irony of it would not be lost on him.
=0=TBC 5-10-2020
Leoness: Stalker scare the pants off me. They are profoundly sick people. Some of them are terribly dangerous and they are nearly impossible to rehabilitate. One woman I read about called her ex 77,000 times in one week. :D:D:D Hugs and take care out there, darling. All of you do. :D:D:D