The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 24 Edited for boo-boos :D
-0-A hearing room in Washington, DC
"Ambassador, we want to talk about a permanent human settlement on Mars,"Dane Piccolo said. He was a congressman from Missouri who represented the area of Johnson County. He was older and rather rotund. His hair was white and his manner folksy. The folksiness didn't reach his brown eyes which were hard and piercing. "Our country would like to establish a permanent human colony on Mars and have put that suggestion forward to the Prime, yet we have heard nothing back. Why?"
"We have been busy,"Ratchet began.
"My question was serious, Ambassador," Piccolo said, cutting in on Ratchet's reply. "We are all serious individuals here. We expect serious answers."
"I would give you one but you keep interrupting,"Ratchet replied with a smile.
"I have yet to hear it," he replied.
"If you would stop interrupting, you would," Ratchet replied. "I don't intend to speak to you if this is the manner in which it will unfold. I don't like ill mannered people interrupting me before I can finish."
"Ill mannered? You just gave me a flip answer to a serious question," Piccolo continued.
Ratchet looked at him, then glanced at Prowl who was staring at Piccolo as if he were a stain on his ped. "When you are ready to be reasonable I will attempt to finish my answer. If not, then I pass on discussing anything including the weather with you."
"What are you trying to hide, Mr. Ambassador?" Piccolo asked coldly.
Ratchet grinned. He looked at the Chairman. "Oh, I get it. This is 'good cop, bad cop' right?"
The audience snickered as they sat watching. The commentary among the three vehicles parked behind Ratchet was less amused. Ratchet looked at the Chairman. "I am an Ambassador of a government who is here by invitation from you. I deserve a modicum of respect and good treatment. If this person is going to sit and abuse me and by extension the leader of my government, I am through talking to him. Get him in line, Mr. Chairman, or I am through with him."
"Mr. Ambassador," Martin Carter began, "You should answer the questions."
"Not if I am going to be interrupted two words in. I don't intend to be mistreated in these hearings. When you abuse me, you abuse my government and that means the Prime of Cybertron. I won't participate in that kind of disrespect."
Ratchet could feel the heat rolling off Prowl as he sat staring impassively at the humans. That is, he was impassive to anyone who didn't really know him. A stickler for protocol and proper etiquette, Ratchet knew that the ultimate target of any bad behavior here on the part of the humans was Optimus. It didn't sit well at all.
"Mr. Piccolo, please allow the Ambassador to finish his remarks." Carter looked at Ratchet. "Please continue."
Ratchet considered that. The Chairman had a better read on the room than Piccolo it would seem. "As I was saying, we have been busy. We have been tracking refugee groups as well as Decepticons."
The room became deathly quiet. He had their attention.
"There are two groups that give us concern. One of them has decided to settle in a system along the trail that leads directly here. They're small for now but there are indications that more unaffiliated Decepticon battle groups are coming to join them. That means they will be a focal point of danger not only for our refugees but ultimately for Earth and Mars. The other group is a fall back base site for the current caretaker government of Cybertron. They are building a refuge with which to go to if Megatron decides to go rogue on them. That makes two danger points for Earth within a decent travel range. Those have occupied our attention for some time now. Among other things."
"Tell us more about this. I am surprised you haven't mentioned this before now," Piccolo said with a tinge of anger in his voice. "I would think as an ally that you would have said something before today."
"We have. Just not to you. We are good allies and keep our human counterparts up to date on what's going on out there. We have a long reach, Congressman. We have also established forward bases out in the universe along the migration path to help us not only protect our own helpless people but Earth and this system as well. Just because I didn't write you a letter doesn't make your insinuation of negligence and subterfuge right. You aren't on the 'must inform' list, Congressman."
"Tell us about this matter," Piccolo said ignoring the comments. "Logic dictates they are there for you, rather than us. What do we have that they could possibly want and why would they come here but for you?"
"First of all, logic doesn't apply to Megatron anymore. I can also only tell you that these infiltrations exist but nothing more. That is classified information. Suffice it to say, they are there, they are being monitored and planned for and that is all I can say. As for 'Cons being here? … they are here because of what you did to Megatron for eighty years. If you think that they are only here for us then you are self deluding. That they haven't struck again and they could given the size of their forces, you would all be dead. They haven't because of us."
"You tell us this exists. How do we know? What if you are making this up to allow your presence in our system? What if this is just a scam to stay here?" Piccolo said.
Even as the words came from his mouth, Ratchet was calling for an answer. A roar overhead caught everyone's attention along with a huge thud of a heavy body landing that followed. Ratchet rose. "Excuse me a moment. I am arranging for your question to be answered." He turned and walked to the door where a large figure appeared. They stood a moment chatting internally, then Ratchet walked back to sit. The big mechanism followed and stood in the space by the door looking down at everyone with an expression of slight disdain. "This is Sky Warp. He is a Seeker and a former Decepticon who is part of our air forces and an integral part of the leadership of our colony. I have asked him to come here to corroborate any commentary related to the two new threats. You may direct your questions to him."
Piccolo looked at Sky Warp, then Chairman Carter who nodded. "Very well. We have been told about two incursions by the Decepticons into local space. We need to know about a fall back base for the commander of Cybertron and a fortress supposedly being built by renegade Decepticons along the migration route. What can you tell us about that if anything?"He sat back and looked at Sky Warp with disdain, which was the wrong attitude for the dour Decepticon to see.
"What do you want to know, meat sack?" Sky Warp replied with a look of his own disgust.
"Meat sack?" Piccolo asked startled. "Are you calling me that?"
Sky Warp glanced at Ratchet, then Piccolo. "Are you hard of hearing?"
A chuckle spread through the room and someone in the back called out, "Yes!" Sky Warp looked at them and smirked slightly. He turned to Piccolo. "There are two forts being constructed in the local group. One of the incursion forces is being led by a renegade mech named Paragon, who is smart, ruthless and ready to climb higher. The other is a fall back base for Soundwave, the current ruler of Cybertron just in case Megatron comes back grumpy which he will. None of them give a frag about you and they will eat you if you get in the way. That you would have a problem with us defending your ungrateful afts is beyond me. I have better things to do with my time but I am here to defend you, ingrate."
It was silent a moment. Ratchet sat with a slight grin on his face. Prowl was seething beside him but looked cool and calm. Sky Warp glared at Piccolo who sat looking back at him with a slight look of concern. Then it was masked. "Your tone is unworthy of these hearings."
"And yours isn't? You've been slagging Ratchet since you opened your mouth. He's the fragging Ambassador of our species here to tell you things that you want to know. How the frag is it that you are abusing him because he doesn't tell you exactly what you want to know? I can tell you as a former 'Con and as a current Autobot that Soundwave and Paragon will have your skins on their walls if they can. They don't give a frag about you, your world, your kids or families. They just want what they want. They even kill us when they feel like it. I was one of the most elite soldiers in the Decepticon Army but when they decided for whatever reason they wanted to end us, they tried. There's a shoot to kill order out on all Seekers to be executed wherever they are found. That is why we came here. We stay here because the Prime has created the world we all wanted and deserved on Mars. We will defend it and in doing so defend you. Frag you if you don't like it. Frag all of you."
Ratchet grinned and glanced at Sky Warp. "Are there any other questions for Commander Sky Warp?" he asked.
Piccolo who sat glaring at the Chairman looked at Ratchet. "No. I think I've heard about all I need."
Ratchet snorted and grinned, then glanced at Sky Warp. "Thanks, Sky. You can go back to the ship now."
Sky Warp nodded and with a glare at the committee, he did what he was famed for. He warped away. One moment he was standing before them, the next he vanished. It took a moment for that to sink in but when it did the collective gasp nearly exhausted the oxygen in the room.
-0-On the air
"Did that Seeker just disappear?" a commentator asked.
Blaster nodded and smiled. "He's a teleporter among other things. He can do that."
"He can flash away from point to point? Sort of invisible while doing it?" the commentator asked incredulously.
"Not sort of. He can. He's one of seven teleporting Seekers in our army. There are thousands of Seekers and their families living with us. Sky Warp is among the highest leadership of the Seekers and a feared fighter. He's a real asset for us to use in our efforts to protect the system."
"No doubt,"the commentator said with his own incredulity.
-0-In the hearing room
"Nice theatrics," Piccolo said at last.
"That would be the wrong way to evaluate what you just saw. Sky Warp is a teleporter. He can come and go without being seen and is a great asset to our forces. He's not the only one either. The Seekers are a venerable force and they are with us. Megatron is a fool to chase them off. We have been made incomparably stronger by their inclusion."
"Tell me about the Decepticon element in your population," Piccolo countered. "How are we supposed to trust them?"
"You should trust them because we do even after millions of years of war," Ratchet said. "There are thousands and thousands of former Decepticons and their families living in the colony. They are upstanding citizens and work in all areas of our world. They came because many of them wanted a better life. Many of them wanted to serve a leader that valued them and didn't consider them expendable. They are here to protect their families. They are here to build a safe life that has opportunities for them too. Megatron doesn't allow families. They are considered distractions. There are death orders on families, especially children. They come to us for many reasons but they all stay for one: Mars is the last stand homeland for all of us and we defend it and the system because we all are one."
It was silent a moment, then the Chairman called time on Congressman Piccolo. "The next questions will come from Representative Mel Steiner of New York. Mr. Steiner?" he asked glancing behind himself to the slender intense figure of the rep from upstate New York.
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ambassador Ratchet, Commander Prowl, I am honored to speak with you about important considerations between us and your government, items that will determine the future of all in the face of our mutual threat. I would like to discuss the request to build a permanent human habitat on Mars. I see it as a collaboration between our worlds and species that can only enhance our understanding."
"If that is the philosophy behind your request, its something we can entertain. We don't want to build another front against us on our home ground, Mr. Steiner. We have two or three already," Ratchet said.
"We know that our species is unequal to the environment of Mars without a lot of effort and special equipment. The idea of having a colony there is a big deal among our people. Maybe you can explain the special needs that would have to be addressed by us to live there since you already have two human habitats at Autobot City already," Steiner asked.
Ratchet nodded. "We have two and they are specially designed for human limitations. There are so many dangers that you would have to overcome that its hard to know where to start," Ratchet said as he thought a moment. "I would begin with the climate and atmospheric configuration itself. Mars has about one third the gravity of Earth which means that your health would be severely compromised over time due to the lighter pull on your bones. Your skeletons would thin and your bones would become depleted. Returning to Earth after a long stay would be dangerous to your continuation. inside our human habitats we have made artificial gravity to take care of this problem.
"Most of the atmosphere of Mars is carbon dioxide, a lethal configuration for humans. Our day is a half hour longer that Earth which means your internal biological clocks would become compromised. We also have a longer year and our seasons last twice as long. In winter, it can be as cold as -191 degrees Fahrenheit which means you would freeze to death instantly. Given the make up of the atmosphere, your bodies would take thousands of years to decay.
"The winds are seasonal and we are working to control them and the overall climate to alleviate dust storms for obvious reasons. There is also the threat of the sandy soil abrading habitat suits as well as all of your equipment and housing units. A single piercing of a habitat suit would kill you in less than three minutes from the bends. The bends are a ailment that is extreme in the suffering it causes by dissolved gases forming bubbles in your blood stream during decompression which is what is immediate after suit failure. The symptoms that follow are terrible and often fatal. They include extreme joint pain, enormous suffering, rashes to paralysis and death. Unless treatment is immediate, death is assured.
"Since we have humans living on Mars with us, we are extremely careful with their care and protection. Not only does everyone in the city set their proximity sensors on full to avoid stepping on them, we also have created suits and habitat quarters that are equal to the task of protecting them. The suits that the humans wear are of one piece. That is, when you step into them they cover every inch of your body from your toes, your finger tips and up to the top of your head. Habitat suits are not changed but left on at all times. The foot and hand coverings are designed to be absolutely mesh tight but also indestructible. Our guests wear them all the time as well as individually designed face masks that fit completely snugly. Nothing is exposed. Nothing is chanced.
"Our science division is taking data from the users and constantly refining the clothing they must wear to be alive. The suits are even able to compensate for the temperature outside. It can range from 90 above to -271 below zero, just about the temperature of vacuum. It should also be known that the suits reflect the damaging radiation that hits the planet due to our weak atmosphere, something that would kill you in a short time if you didn't have a mechanism in place to compensate for it. Even a few hours outside of a habitat could cause damage to your bodies at a molecular level. We prevent that with our technology. Our guests are safe.
"Since there is no decently breathable atmosphere and you require oxygen, the mask and suit is designed to pull the proper configuration of molecules out of the atmosphere, configure them to the proper breathable mix and allow the wearer to utilize it for their use. No matter how little the amount of necessary molecules there are in the atmosphere short of the vacuum of space, our suits are designed to multiply and supply the right mixture.
"That is the level of technology we bring to the table to ensure that the soldiers, scientists and filmmakers that are part of our city life are not only comfortable but completely safe on Mars. Our species is unaffected by anything I have mentioned. We do not breathe air nor do we suffer from cold. Our infants sometimes wear hats on their processors to help keep them at a certain temperature for development because Cybertron wasn't this cold but that is about it. We thrive on Mars because we are designed for it. You aren't. That is what you are facing at a basic level. That doesn't even address food and water, the affect that your bacteria and viruses would have on the world itself and the radiation sickness that would in the end kill all of you because you can't shield against it enough."
Steiner sat a moment, then nodded. "I know that our people are working on this idea and have for decades. We know we are the underdogs. We are however still game to try."
Ratchet grinned. "That is why some of us like your species so much. Never say die."
Steiner grinned. "True enough."
"Then we have one more thing in common," Ratchet said with a grin.
-0-TBC
2013 (2) This is for Pip.