The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 2 (dd3 166)
-0-Air field, Autobot City, Mars
They sat on the shipping crates, their legs dangling as they watched the reclamation as it continued unabated. Ships were brought down, passengers sorted and sent off with either medical personnel or happy civilians who gently helped them along. Their personal belongings were gathered and tagged, their databases claimed, the ships stripped of all the 'easy stuff' then towed away. More came with every batch that left. It was like waves lapping against the shore.
:I missed the game. I caught it on the MCA channel 1. I think I can't love football enough, then the Martian League comes around. You know what I mean?: Sam asked glancing at Bobby Epps.
:I hear ya. It gets better with each game. I'm surprised there aren't any deaths: he replied.
Sam nodded. :You know, the football games are good for humans to watch. They see that we're completely outclassed against the Decepticons every time the lines come together. Even humans that hate Cybertronians get it:
:Good: Epps said grimly. :The idiots better. I can't go against these people by myself:
Sam nodded as they watched a big liner crawl to a stop and the hatch open. A large ramp came down and at the top a pair of Autobot medics emerged, one talking to the ground crew and one leaning back inside to speak to the crowd that they could see through the liner windows. When whatever it was had been sorted out they began to come out, the stretchers first.
The humans watched as the group began to gather on the tarmac, a lot of children among their numbers. They had no idea if they were orphans gathered or infants born on the Diaspora. That was the thing, Sam thought. Each one of them have a story but what was it? Where had they been? What had it felt like to hear Optimus? All of that he thought about while he watched. Glancing at the others including the new humans and the scientists, he could see the same thoughts on their faces.
A group began to walk to the Port of Entry stations that were set up to sort out the preliminary inductions. A long row of tables supported computers and mechs who worked under the direction of Blondi. She was standing in front of a large group explaining in her kind way what would happen next.
The refugees had the same overwhelmed shell-shocked expressions on their faces. They hadn't expected a full blown city with major amenities and wide open opportunities. They hadn't expected to see Cybertronian architecture and tens of thousands of their own people working so hard for them. They'd expected to see Seekers among them, maybe even working to help them like they were. But not so many. They hadn't expected bridges and Guardians, Metroplex and Fortress Maximus. They had expected considerably less.
Many of them stood silent in their tearful amazement. Some wept openly. They were dazed, all of them. Their infants stared around wide opticed, some clinging to their family members, some venturing a little bit around to see it all for the first time. It would become an indelible memory, the orn they arrived in the promised land.
All around them was the energy of hope and the genuine application of kindness. Here was a home that was defended and they were being taken in with all the possibilities being explained. They could go to school, work at jobs they liked, learn jobs they always dreamed about but could never have and live in a decent home with plentiful food.
The Prime ruled the colony and the planet with the justness of one who bore the greatest Matrix ever devised by their people, the Matrix that carried the essence of Primus himself.
Many were among them that felt shock to see the gleaming roof of the Temple of Simfur in their midst. Many was the grateful refugee who was greeted by the gentle priests and their acolytes. That segment of their existence had been lost forever or so many of them thought.
Too many.
Yet here it was restored under the rule of Optimus Prime. This place was blessed. This place was holy. They were going to be allowed to live, work, be protected and cared for here.
It was overwhelming.
Processor health aides walked among the throng pausing here and there, sometimes taking a little group out of line to a station where they could be evaluated for treatment. Those who had been wounded or were ill beyond the ability to walk were gently removed from ships and placed in runabouts, their families taken into servo by techs who would march them through intake, then send them to the hospital to be with their family members.
It was astonishing.
The numbers were even more so. Fully 186,000+ had already been processed and taken to their homes so far. Terra would manage the bulk of the influx with the new housing additions coming online in a decaorn. There were at least nearly a quarter million waiting to be brought to the city. It was dizzying to the humans.
:I can't imagine having to do this on Earth. They're so … what's the word? Docile?: Jack Mellar mused.
:Shocked maybe," Leonora said as he watched a little infant hiding in their genitor's legs as he stared at the humans. She waved and he ducked back, peering out after a moment. :I think they're exhausted and hopeful. They know they're going to be safe after all that insecurity. I admire them. All of them:
She waved again and the infant looked at her for a moment before the ghost of a smile formed on his little green face. Then he ducked back into the safety of his family again.
-0-Ops Center, Fort Apache, Out there
"The 'Cons are moving away, 'Jack," Alor said as he looked up from the map on the table.
Blackjack who was holding a sleepy Hero walked to the table to stare as the gleaming lights of the enemy began to pull out of the line up. "Prime's letting them go."
"He's sort of up against it," Alor said nodding. He squeezed Hero's ped. The infant grinned. So did her grand ada. "He can't afford a shooting war. Maybe you can call and get his thinking on this."
Blackjack nodded then walked to the communications station. "I need Prime, Lexus."
The big mech complied. "Prime here."
"Prime, what's the theory behind letting them move off?" Blackjack asked.
"We do not want shooting. Right now, we figure they found an energy source. We are going to shadow them to find out where they settle. That part of the surveillance will fall to you and your crew. We are going to have to beef up the deep space arrays and dishes where you are. He is a sore spot but he is also seeking dominion of Cybertron. The more daggers Soundwave and Megatron have at their throats, the more it works for us."
Blackjack nodded. "I agree. Do you want me to alert Sciences that the sensor grid needs an overhaul?"
"That would be advisable. In the meantime, we are going to redirect the small gate to the fort. Wheeljack has been working on portable bridges, even some that can fit on ships. We will have to have a big discussion. We now have two enemy installations forming close enough to us to be a bother, if not a major threat."
"Affirmative. I'll call Sciences now," Blackjack said.
:Atar:
"What?" Blackjack asked with a slight grin.
"How is Hero?:
"I think she wants to move in with us, Ironhide." There was a pause. Blackjack could feel the angst filter over the link. "Do you want me to hold your servo while you cry?"
:Ha-ha: Ironhide said at last. :I'll be back to get her:
"I'm sure you will," Blackjack said with a chuckle.
:How's old mech holding out? Is the rush too much or what?: Ironhide asked.
"Ratchet is managing just fine. There aren't that many terribly out of sorts refugees. They're more in the line of starved, ill or less than massively damaged. They're doing a yeoman's job, Ironhide."
:That's good. We still have the majority here but the threat level is falling. We'll be back when we are: Ironhide said.
"We'll be here. Loving on the infant. I'm holding her now. She's smiling at me. I think it means she wants to move in with us," 'Jack said with a smirk.
There was a pause.
:You really are a slagger aren't you:
"You had to get yours from somewhere," 'Jack said with a grin.
"You didn't get it from me," Alor interjected. "Get done and get home, all of you."
:We will: Ironhide said before signing off.
Alor looked at 'Jack with a smirk. "That's youngling abuse, you old reprobate."
"Serves him right having such wonderful younglings. I'd take all of them in myself if they didn't have such a good home," Blackjack said smiling at his granddaughter. She smiled at him. "Maybe they can overnight with us when we get back. Sort of on a rotating schedule."
Alor smiled. "You won't get an argument out of me." He took the baby. "Go get with Sciences. It's my turn now."
Blackjack snorted and pulled up a chair before a monitor. "Slagger," he said with a grin.
-0-At the Trigger
Sciences had rerouted the call to the Trigger where Wheeljack and Perceptor were working to run their part of the reclamation. Sitting down before a monitor, the two looked at the image of Blackjack. "What's up, 'Jack?" Wheeljack asked.
"We have to beef up the deep space arrays and the dishes. Paragon is moving off and Prime believes he's forting up around an energy source."
"Slag," Wheeljack said. "There must be energon fragments in the Cloud that we haven't reached yet."
"Or worse, a seeded transient planet. There are a number of free ranging bodies out there. Maybe they're refuse from the formation of this system that are trapped in the Oort Cloud."
"Could be," Wheeljack replied. "We'll do a complete redesign. I think we also need to set up arrays out in space beyond your fort. If we can set up about four we can link them and extend our reach into the Cloud. That'll be a problem you know, the Cloud. Its filled with reflectives and the density of that much ice and slag is a problem in some areas. The ambient radiation isn't the biggest factor but it's one. This is doable."
"Good," Blackjack said. "What is the word on the new bridges? I hear you're working on putting some on ships. That would be outstanding. We could place mechs inside enemy ships that way without them knowing we could. It would also be important to be able to scan and receive schematics of the ship's interior before we send our troops in. That should be considered, too."
Wheeljack nodded. "We will. Optics will be incredibly important. We have two prototypes for ships. There were ship bridges back in the orn but they were primitive compared to these. One is for a large ship that can shift big loads or large groups of soldiers wherever they are needed to go. The other is for small ships and will be of necessity smaller in their capacity. They will be coming up for testing shortly. I think equipping your based vessels with them would be imperative. You never know what you will be expected to do out there."
Blackjack nodded. "I know." They talked a bit more, then signed off, the big black Autobot returning to the table to sit. He studied the map, then looked at Hero who had been staring at him for a while. He grinned. She did, too.
Blackjack of Praxus was in love.
-0-On the City of Solitude
Bluestreak stood by a window watching the scene outside. He was going to transfer to Gamma to help Ratchet when a runabout was due. They'd come to fight but they'd stood down the enemy. It was good. For him, it was victory. He would rather come to show the flag and scare bad mechs away than fight. He hated fighting with all his spark.
Sunstreaker had told him about the stragglers. He and Sideswipe were field medics for that forward team. He was proud of them. They had only rudimentary knowledge about medicine before Autobot City. All of them had. They knew how to plug holes and do field patches until a real doctor could be found. But now, both of them knew actual medicine. That was something awesome to the quiet winger who felt their sparkling energy over the trine bond.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw the command crew working quietly, all of them relieved that the enemy had departed. The conversations with Paragon had played over their comm system and he'd listened. He'd never heard of Paragon before now. He didn't like the idea of them going off without restrictions but Optimus knew what he was doing.
Soon they would go home. It was a good thing, too. Sideswipe was due to work in the school for his shift as a genitor. He knew that both the twins hated to miss that duty. Watching Kaon and the girls excel fixed a lot of bad things inside both of them. They were genuinely dedicated servos-on genitors and that made him proud, too.
A large group of ships began to move forward escorted by fifty Seekers. They entered the bridge and were gone. He watched as many more came to take their place, gathering in larger numbers now that the enemy was gone. They'd be at this one more orn, then they'd all go home. It couldn't be too soon he thought as he watched the intensity outside the view port.
-0-TBC 2013 (1) edited 5-3-19
Ship based space bridges are canon. :D