The Diego Diaries: Here we go. (298)
-0-Diego Garcia, Earth
They walked from Cosmos heading for the Embassy. Ironhide and Prime walked on either side of Rainmaker answering his questions about the scene around him. He looked at the place where their repatriation began, the idea of an ocean of water sobering. They had small bodies of liquid, some of it water on Cybertron but never an ocean of this magnitude. Given their ramblings and experience through the universe, it was surprising that so many of the Cybertronians in the solar system had such little experience with great bodies of water.
The Embassy loomed ahead and they walked toward it pausing a couple of times to speak to soldiers that drove past. When they reached it, they entered disappearing into the cool interior. Outside it was 89 degrees with a chance of rain likely. It was perfect.
-0-At the human end of the equation
The heads of state of five countries had been on the phone since the night before to each other, N.E.S.T. and other bodies that were connected with the Autobots including Warren Roberts. Their security agencies were tracking the bombers through their sources, other agencies both foreign and domestic as well as private contractors who trafficked in information. Other nations who were signatories of the treaties tightened security, made statements of solidarity even as some of them were reconsidering their positions.
The defense ministers of France, Germany, Canada and England would conference with the Autobots and U.S. officials to discuss the situation, compare notes and make a solid front against the evil that had befallen their people. The Diego contingent would speak to them over secure lines in the communications hangar offering both their vast experience and assistance as well as their spark felt condolences.
General Morshower along with his aide-de-camp and a couple of other officers sat on their plane as it circled the island on approach. He was tired but determined to manage his input in the presence of Optimus and the bots. They were very good at presenting their position but he felt the seriousness of the situation required his personal presence at their sides. He had been made a citizen of Cybertron by Optimus Prime at Christmas Surprise, he and his family so the interest was more than professional or academic.
It was personal.
The tower cleared them so their plane began its descent, the newbie officers peering out their windows to see the Autobot aircraft that spent time there. They had never been to the island nor had they seen any Cybertronians live. After the amount of information broadcast and the programming ongoing about them, they were familiar and scary at the same time.
The plane touched down on the steaming runway rolling to a slowdown. It turned and taxied to its parking place, pausing to stay until called upon to leave with its human cargo once again. Nearby, sitting in the sun gathering energy, Cosmos relaxed in alt form. The humans began to deplane when he transformed, becoming his alt robotic format. He turned and began to walk to the beach crossing the tarmac in front of the humans. He paused and looked down, smiling. "Hello, General," he said in his nerdy voice.
"Hi, Cosmos," Glenn Morshower said as John Fulton drove up to greet the incoming dignitaries. "How are you?"
"I'm fine and dandy," Cosmos said nodding. "Hello, Colonel. Looks like a long afternoon here."
Fulton smiled at one of his favorite Autobots. "I think so, Cosmos. I guess you get to wait around to take everyone back?"
"I do. Optimus brought the Great Elder with him too. Right now, I think I'm going to the beach." Cosmos nodded and continued onward heading to the fence nearby and the beaches. The newbie soldiers watched him go, then continued onward, their eyes apprising everything they met for sentience. Some of the stuff they saw actually had it.
-0-In the Embassy, Ops Center
Ratchet commed off and turned walking to sit at the center table. "They finished the profile of the infants. They will be forwarding me a copy as well as you, Optimus. You can read it, Elder, at the clinic. I can't give it to you because of patient confidentiality."
Rainmaker nodded. "I will go there then."
"We believe at this stage that they can attend school to catch up maybe every other orn or two or three in a row at a time. Their trine status complicates their placement. Not yet adults, more than babies. Jarro thinks that Terradive would be a good fit for the teacher given his amazing luck with infants who lack skills and Sunspot will be with them as well. Given that they have a service dog with Spot, it could be a very good placement."
Prime nodded. "I hope so," he said as Prowl returned from the communications station.
"They are ready for us, sir," Prowl said as he paused by the table.
Optimus turned to Rainmaker and rose. "We will be talking to a number of humans, many of which don't speak the same language. There will be translators at their end. We will broadcast in American English which is the scientific and economic lingua franca. You have it in your database downloads?"
"I do," Rainmaker said with a nod. "I will follow your lead, Prime."
Optimus nodded and the party rose, walking to the door and outside together. The stroll across the tarmac to the communications hangar brought back a lot of memories, some of them not so good. When they arrived, they followed Optimus inside.
Sitting in rows working at their part of the puzzle, airmen and women, soldiers and the odd naval personnel could be seen. A tall structure that allowed face to face conversation stood at the back of the room which was a maze of equipment, cords and other primitive communication devices. Blackjack, Ironhide, Rainmaker and Ratchet moved back to the door pausing half in and out, watching as Prowl and Prime walked to the construction. Glenn Morshower, John Fulton and the replacement State Department liaison, a man named George Kelly greeted them. The screens were already on and there were faces filling each.
Ratchet turned and looked at Rainmaker. "Welcome to Earth," he said with a grin. "We began here back in the orn. It was Prime that saw the potential in Mars and that's how we ended up in the city."
"Starscream has told me a number of things. Apparently, this was the place, this planet where they held Megatron," he said.
Ironhide nodded. "They held him nearly a vorn. He was aware but they didn't know it. He nearly lost his processor and personally, I think he has. He will never forgive or forget."
Rainmaker nodded. "I dealt with him often and he is a vindictive megalomaniac. There is no negotiation, no give, no hope with him."
"You will be incredibly important, Elder," Ratchet said. "You are just back from out there. You can tell them a lot and reinforce what they already know. They are good, humans. They just are small and have little experience with aliens. That their first aliens should be like us is very disconcerting."
He nodded. "I can see their point. The important thing is, can they see ours?"
The conference began so they turned to watch. Prime and Prowl stood together, Prime towering over the winger as introductions were made. Most of the figures both knew at least by name and reputation. They were hard helmed and tense. The UK representative began. "Gentlemen, we have a force that is very connected, funded and fearless. We also are afraid that among their most effective members are active duty soldiers from our armies and security forces."
Prime nodded. "Our preliminary read on this supports that notion, Mr. Minister. We are certain that the level of damage and the substances used indicate a breach in your own security."
"There are forces at work here, sir, forces of reaction that would push you and your people away from our system," the Canadian replied. "They would believe that if you go, so would the Decepticons."
Prime shook his helm. "I have opposed Megatron for nine million years, sir. He would not step away from a goal anymore than this planet could reverse its rotation. I am maybe inadequate at explaining the offense he feels over the violation of his body and the captivity he endured over the period of time humans held him unwittingly. It has changed him by all accounts and made him doubly dangerous. He will never change or be diverted from the path he has chosen to take. He will annihilate this planet and kill all of your people to make sure no one ever knows what happened to him."
"We understand that, sir," the French representative said. "What we also understand is that except for two battles here, you have not seen him for some time. Your intel is not fresh and perhaps given his defeats, he might have changed his focus. I personally don't believe that. I believe that you are correct on that issue. But I am speaking the arguments that some are saying and would like to know how to address them more forcefully."
Prime nodded. "We are getting refugees at regular intervals and we share that with you on broadcasts and with the visitors to Mars that come from here. Among those visitors are those who can tell of the picture beyond this system about the galaxy beyond. Some of them can speak definitively about Megatron as well. I would like to introduce a couple of them to you so that they can tell you what you need to know." He commed Blackjack who stepped past Ratchet and walked into the room.
Soldiers glanced up at the Autobot upon whose frame Ironhide was designed. Apparently, Alor had the same myopic viewpoint of perfection that Ratchet had. Blackjack paused beside Prime who turned to the screen again. "This is General Blackjack of Praxus. He was a commander of troops on Cybertron for generations of mechs and is the father of my Master of the Armed Forces and munitions expert, Ironhide. He has been on Mars for a while but can speak with authority to a lot of the current situation beyond our system." Prime nodded and stepped back allowing the stern expressive face of Blackjack to fill the screen.
"General," the French representative said. "Bonjour."
Blackjack nodded. "Hello, Mr. Aylet. I am Blackjack and with my bond, Alor we managed to keep a sector of space free of the 'Cons for a very long time. It was in an area called the Benzuli Expanse. The 'Cons ran a lot of operations there until we began to pick them off. There are unstable energy floes and a lot of strangeness that made it a dicey area anyway. Then we came and became what were called 'The Ghosts of Benzuli' because we struck and disappeared immediately.
"We kept the region isolated because we were going to rescue and gather refugees. It was in this area that we first ran into the son of Megatron, Galvatron," he said with a grim tone.
-0-TBC
05-08-2013