The Diego Diaries: For Now 2 (313)
-0-Earth
Charlotte Mearing sat in her office in Washington, D. C. having just completed a debrief with the National Security Council of which she was chairperson. She ruled it with an iron fist having claimed her chairmanship inch by slagging inch. She had posed her brief to the President under the guise of increased efficiency and communications by demanding and mostly getting some control of N.E.S.T. and most of the technical side of the Global Alliance of which N.E.S.T. was a major component.
Morshower had been at the meeting as well and the combat between the two could match any battlefield anywhere for sheer ferocity. He had kept operational control as well as most of the administrative and budgetary components but he had to include her for intelligence and communications. Nothing that was going on between his office and the Autobots could be kept from her.
He was not happy.
"Thanks for taking a moment, Optimus," he said from his office over his encrypted line, the one he had with Optimus that no one else knew about. That one. "I just had a knockdown drag out with Mearing."
"I heard that she is going to be a problem, Glenn. I am sorry that you have this on top of everything else," Optimus said as he sat in Opts Center on Mars. "How can we assist you?"
Glenn Morshower smiled. "You already have. I would like for you and me to communicate directly with each other and that we keep her out of the loop as much as possible. Our encrypted lines will facilitate that but it will take effort to keep her talons out of things that don't need her attention."
Optimus nodded. "I understand. This reminds me of Cybertron when I became Prime. I was surrounded by individuals from whom the truth was kept for the sake of keeping my government intact. I will apply the same mode for this. How much trouble will she be when we locate the enemy and come to Earth to round them up?"
"Plenty, I think. She isn't impressed by our efforts so far in the main but that's too bad for her," Morshower said, his voice making his opinions clear.
Optimus grinned slightly. "Well, we will make sure she doesn't step on our operations."
Morshower nodded relaxing at last. "Barbara and I are coming for the playoff. I suppose Prowl has a bet laid out on Praxus?"
"He does," Optimus said with a chuckle. "I personally will be glad when the season is over to tell you the truth. The tension is thick on the ground around here."
They would chat for a bit, then break, their plan of action firmly in place.
-0-Johnson and Hedges
They gave themselves up in Las Vegas, going to the interrogation with their billionaire-financed lawyers. It was quiet in the interrogation room as Sam Hedges waited with his two attorneys. An FBI agent entered with a Las Vegas detective and a member of the ATF, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the agency that monitored munitions in the United States. They all sat as both sides stared at each other. The FBI agent began. "Mr. Hedges, we are wanting to know your whereabouts yesterday please."
"In relation to what?" one attorney asked.
"In relation to my question," the FBI man asked.
"Unless you tell us the circumstances relating to your question, I am going to ask my client to decline to answer."
And so it went.
-0-Out in space
They came through the darkness, a fleet filled with menace. Four battle cruisers and seven affiliated lesser vessels headed toward the signals that were emanating in the same approximate area. One was from Prime alone. The next was a message from Prime and Starscream. There was also a stronger newer one from the Great Elder. The one that drew them was from Paragon, someone their captain had known and served with. Everyone in the group was aware of the messages; they were ubiquitous communications.
They were also aware of other things too. There were strange communications programming from a planet filled with organic aliens. The communications were a gamut of entertainment, sports and news. Some of the programming was interesting. The 'westerns' and war shows were popular among the crews. Comedies such as 'I Love Lucy' were an acquired taste. What resonated were the movies and programming of 'Transformers'.
They could actually see reasonable facsimiles of themselves in programs. What was incredulous was that they were about Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Soundwave.
Shockwave.
Ironhide, Jazz, Wheeljack, Ratchet and others.
Incredible.
They changed course and were heading toward Paragon who had made the offer of sanctuary and spoils, energon and opportunity for anyone who would come to join his regathering and reworking of the faction. They were aware of Soundwave's fortress and steered away. That situation was not clear to them yet. Viable or no? They couldn't tell. Paragon was more reasonable, a small independent operation that was gearing up to become something.
There might be a niche and future for them there.
As they drew closer, they found out other things. The Autobots had a forward base too. They also had a city.
A huge Cybertronian city.
It had a Temple.
It had Guardians.
It looked incredible.
They had spent inordinate amounts of time picking up the signal from that city that somehow had leaked from a transmission feed into clear space. The programming was incredible. The views spectacular. The quality of life that was available there Cybertronian.
There were schools.
Businesses ran by Cybertronians for Cybertronians.
Aliens who supported them.
There was even football.
Sports stadiums filled with Cybertronians engaging in Cybertronian football. They had the leisure and numbers to have sports.
It was incredulous making.
They flew onward, the leadership gathering on the deck of the command vessel. They would discuss their next steps together. Their leader wanted to go to Paragon and make a force big enough to challenge Prime. They would now discuss the feasibility of doing so.
-0-Barron
He sat in the conference room for his office on the top floor of the Autobot City Justice Building which had once been the old museum. The entire museum area had now become the permanent home of the legal arena of Autobot Nation. All seven floors down to the sub basements were dedicated space. The jail below held prisoners who were awaiting trial, had been sentenced to less than three months or were held in special sentencing circumstances like the younglings involved in the caste fighting.
"What is the status on the review of Burris's case regarding his trial?" Barron asked Coln-2 as Endar and Highrode paused their private discussion to listen.
"The panel of seven random citizens listened to the evidence unaware of the other charges regarding alleged brutality of those in his ship and found that Semi and the Prime were fair in their judgment of his guilt. They decided that there should be consideration given to the behavior of those when it can be determined to be based on class beliefs. The majority found that this conception was counter to the peace and should be considered with caveats as a separate charge in cases like this."
"We discussed at length our own objections and they agreed that there should be multiple judges to hear such cases to prevent caste bias from being a part of the judgment process. The idea of the Prime was considered separately because his judgments are made in conjunction with the Matrix. This judgment was upheld on the facts and on the matter of the Matrix's impartiality and adherence to justice," Endar said ruefully.
"What about the sentencing itself?" Barron asked nodding.
"They felt it appropriate," Coln-2 said nodding himself.
"I will forward these findings to the Prime and suggest that we institute an appeals process parallel to the Prime himself so that any cases that bring into question the possibility of discord based on undertones such as this one had have an avenue of review. Our people are used to debased institutions. It is up to us to rebuild trust in our department and the objective, which is fair and impartial hearings and reviews of behavior. I will also ask him to appoint a group to study the idea of special circumstances in law and sentencing if found guilty of those involved in caste incitement."
They all nodded and the meeting continued.
-0-Aerie Hill
Sky Warp stood on his balcony holding his son. They had named him after his grandada and to him the baby was perfect. That meant four perfect infants lived in their home. The other three were in school, a thing he still marveled over and he was alone for the afternoon. Starscream was at work in the Flight Center and Thundercracker was in college working on his degree in aerodynamic engineering. He was tending the home fires.
Behind him in the open spaces behind Aeirie Hill another construction was ongoing. They were building upward from the new habitat adding spaces for future Seekers who were coming. He could feel it, the regathering of his people and he was well pleased. His son would have more friends to grow up with. He would someday fly in these skies and know contentment. He would never know war. Of that, Sky Warp and the trine were in agreement. None of their infants would ever know what they knew. They would never experience it.
The sun was warm on his face as he stared at the sky. Soon more would come and they would be stronger. They would know more about the world beyond these skies. That would be good. They had young to protect and they would. He, Sky Warp would make sure of that.
-0-In a Youngling Day School classroom
They sat together around a microscope, one taking notes, the others discussing the images on a small monitor nearby as another manipulated the views. They were intent on their task as the rest of the class worked on their own projects. They were studying microbes in the soil of Mars and it was fascinating. They were preparing to go on a field trip to the foothills of Olympus Mons nearby to collect rocks and minerals for further study.
"I think they look like little bugs," Cardinal said as he pointed to one of the shapes on the little monitor.
Sunspot nodded. "They look like weird legos."
The others looked at him. "What are legos, Sunny?" Raptor asked.
"The greatest toy. They are snap together blocks that you use to build stuff. Come to my house after school and I'll show you," the little Seeker said.
The three looked at each other, then Sunspot. "Okay," Farrell said with a grin. Then they turned back to their task.
Terradive standing nearby watching his little class work hard smiled. It was a good orn he concluded before he turned to help Spirit and T-Bar draw their impressions of their specimens.
-0-In another place
Iacon, Uraya and Hero stood together watching their aide stack blocks in a certain order. They were smiling at each other, then their aide, then the three student teachers watching, then each other, then at the blocks, their aide, the blocks, the student teachers, the …
-0-In yet another place
Orion hopped when everyone hopped. He moved sideways in side steps when everyone did. He turned with his arms up twice like he was supposed to and stopped when everyone else did.
Dancing was awesome.
-0-Back there
Hero held a yellow block and looked at it. She turned to Iacon who was chewing on a red one. Reaching for it, she took it, Iacon watching her with a slight frown. Turning to put it on the floor, Hero placed hers on it. Then she turned to her niece and smiled. Iacon looked at it, then smiled back. Taking another block, she put it on the stack. It wobbled a bit but stayed up. Uraya who watched as she held two dollies, one for her and one for her twin smiled too. Then she put both dollies on the stack. It fell over. The three looked at each other, then laughed.
It was a tiny laugh.
It was deathly cute.
Such was the consensus opinion of all who watched.
-0-In the prison
Burris stood at the bars in the 14th orn of his imprisonment. His bond had taken over the household keeping things together. Their son was in the city jail attending college during the orn but reporting back for every second otherwise. It fried his circuits in a major way. So did the appeal.
They had failed. A bunch of nobodies had been drawn from the population at random and found not only that he was guilty but that laws needed to be made to address the idea of caste abuse and 'incitement'.
Frag that.
He would check in with Fenix when this was over and join the Iacon Order. Frag Prime if he didn't like it. He would be with his own kind, they would have their own thoughts and if Prime wanted trouble he would get it. He was resolved on this issue. He mused, then looked up as Proteus came to stand by him. "You look pensive, Burris. Care to unburden yourself?"
"I am filled with angst over my situation, Proteus. One cannot be oneself anymore," Burris said with his usual melodrama. "Do you know a mech called Fenix?"
"I don't believe so," Proteus replied.
"He has organized an opposition to the Prime disguised as a social club. He has gotten a good position in the office of the city administration and is going to exploit for our own advancement the system's opportunities."
"I see. I don't know how successful he will be. Apparently, the system is outlawed and the population against its re-institution."
"We want our own city and colony elsewhere. We want to make our own place, Proteus. Prime won't allow it."
"He has to defend the territory that he can," Proteus said playing devil's advocate. "If there are too many places, that is problematic."
"You sound like him," Burris said with a slight tone of disgust.
"You will find that not acknowledging the facts in your quest will sink you. Find arguments that are sound for every counter argument. That is the only way to win the favor of public opinion."
"Hang public opinion," Burris said. "Hang it all."
"Apparently that might be an outcome for you," Proteus said with a slight grin. "Iacon Order or no, your behavior in light of the migration is going to get you hung."
"We shall see," Burris said with a cold tone.
As they stood together Sentinel Prime walked over to stand with them. "You two look happy."
"What is to be happy about, Sentinel? The system is outlawed, I am in prison. The greatness of our people was predicated on a number of ideas and plans, none of which are in force here."
"I don't know, Burris," Sentinel said looking toward the glittering bustling city beyond. "It looks like they have things in servo from here."
Burris vented a sigh. "We shall see, Sentinel. I would think given that your leadership would be needed to pull things together again, even if only in our own colony that you would have more interest in what Fenix and the others are trying to do."
"What makes you think I don't, Burris?" Sentinel asked enigmatically.
Burris looked at him a moment, then stared back out across the barren landscape of the desert before him. "Just so you know, Sentinel."
Sentinel stared with him.
-0-Outside a pretty county house in the Wimpole Parish, Cambridgeshire, England
They burrowed in waiting for the arrival of the one they wanted. It would take a few days but they were professionals who could wait. The countryside was beautiful in early spring though the weather was marginal, light rains interspersed with sunshine and temps in the 50's to low 60's. They were camouflaged, hidden in the trees near the estate. No one could see them. They could watch however.
And they did.
-0-TBC
05-24-13 (PS I am replacing segments as edited out the wazoo. The first 20 of Diego part 1 are up to specs. The rest are coming. It may take 20 years but they are all going to shine like a diaaaaaaaamonnnnnnddddd... uh, sorry. :D I will update how far along the replacements are. Someone told me they want to print this out to have a hard copy. I want their copy to be shiny. Hugs to all, my darlings. It is finally sunny here and getting warmer. Alaska is a harsh mistress. :D