The Diego Diaries: Regrouping 4 (364) Edited
-0-On the ground in Diego
Ironhide walked from Omega heading for the base for an optics on inspection. The work continued through the night and was well in servo. Right now, the finished project needed tweaked, the linkages worked out and the nerves of all to settle. The white coral roads that led from the base to the hinterlands beyond were repaired and looked the same as ever. Lots of trees, the smaller type palm trees and other vegetation that was suited to a climate on the equator was missing but would be replaced by the Autobots. Work with numerous greenhouses and firms around the world was underway with experts looking for replacements. Those that had survived were being cared for. Luckily, most of the marshes and habitats of the birds and other animals that lived here had not been targeted.
Ironhide was glad for that. He hated gratuitous violence against the innocent. That mean less gratuitous violence for him. He nodded to this and that human as he walked toward the end of the long installation where the firing range was located. He looked toward the lagoon where the anchorages of ships were located. Fortunately, most of them were out to sea when the attack came. The damage would have been colossal if they hadn't been. Ships off showing the flag elsewhere was a welcome thing to him. They were due back in shortly but that would be okay. The Navy seldom crossed his path. The sailors would be out taking the air and watching them like everyone else. He was used to humans watching him.
Handsome slagger that he was.
He grinned.
Nearing the field, he looked at the barracks that had been Daniels' home base and now housed Charlotte Mearing. They had thought only a hangar and an electronics shack had survived alone out of the entirety of the base. They were wrong. The barracks had survived buried under debris from other buildings. It was Autobot made and secured. It had survived.
Like them. Take a lickin', keep on tickin'.
He grinned again.
"What do you suppose Ironhide's grinning about?" a Seabee* asked as he sat on his dozer.
"I don't know. Could be gas," another said with a grin.
"Do they get gas?" the first replied.
"I hope so," the other said with a chuckle.
Ironhide who heard them smirked slightly as he continued to the firing range. The ground was pockmarked from combat. They had been over the base checking for unexploded ordinance before anyone could begin to move around freely. It was clear as was the entire atoll and the sea around it. The dents and dings in the firing range were being smoothed by bots who had finished the roads and strips around the island. He watched them a moment, then turned to walk back. As he did, Charlotte Mearing came out of her quarters followed by her harried aides, two women heavily laden with this and that bag and briefcase.
He kept going. So did she.
-0-In the bosom of love
"ADA! WHAT SHE!?"
Ratchet looked at Praxus as he harnessed Orion. That little bot was smiling at him brilliantly, holding up his Wheeljack dollie for the honors. Ratchet looked at him, then grinned. Kissing his dollie, he turned back to Praxus. "What, Praxus?"
"WHY SHE!?" He stood looking at Ratchet, his tiny Ratchet paint scheme even more cute than ever. His little gray chevron glowed, his little crosses, red servos and aft were shiny as could be. He was as cute as a button, whatever that meant.
"Who's 'she'?" Ratchet asked clipping Orion's leash onto the loop. He reached for Praxus and parked him in front of where he knelt. Taking the harness, he began to bridle the little bit.
"SHE!" He looked at Ratchet with a giant smile. "PAX LOVE ADA!"
Ratchet paused, then leaned down to kiss his helm. "Ada loves Pax."
Praxus nodded grinning all around himself. He pointed at Ratchet. "Ada loves Praxus."
It was as clear as a bell. Ratchet nearly keeled over.
-0-On Diego
"You there."
Ironhide continued onward ignoring the query. He was aware that she had little direct experience with them but that didn't excuse her duty to know them, the senior staff by sight. The sound of footsteps hustling faster came to him but he continued.
"AUTOBOT! I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU!"
Ironhide paused, then turned to look down at her. She stared at him unafraid. "What?"
"I wish information about the creatures that attacked the base." Charlotte Mearing looked up at him with a sense of diminutive insignificance she had never felt before. She wasn't the tallest person around but she had never felt this small before. These creatures were gigantic. He stopped, then turned to her gazing down from literally miles up. He considered her, this incredulously impossible being, then looked around with an air of indifference for a moment. Looking at her again, he spoke. "Are you talking to me?"
She stared at him for a moment. "Oh, I get it. Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver."
Ironhide hid a smirk. She was right. But he would never let her know that. "You make no sense."
"Alright. I want to know about these new Decepticons. I would also like to know why you weren't aware of them being here?"
Ironhide considered that. "The Earth has a lot of iron in its overall make up. It shields signals if you go deep enough. They did. As for knowing they were here … why didn't you?"
"That's absurd. How do you expect us to know about them?" she asked.
"The same way you expect us to. What the frag makes you think we're omnipotent? We're incredibly good, not omnipotent," Ironhide said. "There's a slagging difference."
"But these creatures are yours not ours," she replied.
Ironhide looked at her. "And what does that mean?"
"You brought them. You get rid of them," she said crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Just like that." He considered her. "We're working on that day and night. We do better when desk jockeys like you stay home." He turned and continued onward.
She hurried after him. "You didn't tell me about the Decepticons!" she called out.
"I won't either," Ironhide said as he walked over the invisible line of their sovereign territory into the now fully walled Embassy. She followed right along behind him.
-0-In the bosom of love
Spot sat beside Orion wagging his tail. Orion leaned on him fully harnessed. He grinned as Praxus got hooked up. "PAX GOOD!"
"He is," Ratchet said staring at Praxus with a wary optic. "How do you feel, Praxus?" Ratchet asked as a test question.
He looked at his ada, the one whom he resembled down to his little Ironhide face and smiled brilliantly. "I am fine, Ada."
Ratchet glanced at Orion, then Spot, then Sunspot who looked at Praxus with surprise too. He leaned down and patted Praxus on the shoulder. "Pax? You talk really good."
He smiled at Sunspot. "POT!"
Ratchet snorted, then shook his helm. "I don't know anything, its clear," Ratchet said as he turned toward Hero. She was standing staring at everyone with a brilliant smile. "Ada, Praxus talks nice."
Ratchet nodded. "You infants surprise me every orn." He looked at his daughter. She was wearing her rose colored and patterned sweater, her rose colored cap with a crocheted rose attached in her tiny servos. "I see you're wearing the new outfit." He took her little cap and put it on her helm adjusting for the flower and her finials. She looked chic to the superstructure.
For a tot.
She smiled. "I love it," she said glancing down at her little rose garbed chassis. She looked at Ratchet with an almost shy expression. "Do I look okay?"
"You look very pretty," Ratchet said as he slipped her harness onto her. When she was linked up, he turned to pick up Prowler who was in his Seeker bag. Sliding him into his hold, he turned and gathered up reins. Everyone garbed and ready to go smiled up at him. Praxus pointed his digit at Ratchet. "ADA! WHERE IS ATAR!?"
Ratchet blinked. "Working, boo-boo."
"Okay," Praxus said smiling. "We go to school now?"
Ratchet paused, then nodded. "Yes."
"Okay," Praxus said as he turned and walked to the door. Waiting, he smiled. Then Ratchet grinned. "Giddy up, little doggies," Ratchet said.
They did.
-0-Autobot Embassy
Ironhide walked to the big double aperture in front where the huge doors would eventually be hung and paused. He looked back at the tiny human female chasing him along with two others. She stopped and looked up at him. She didn't say a word. "You are trespassing on the sovereign territory of the Primes and Cybertron."
"I want information," she persisted.
"You are on sovereign territory uninvited. Go to the administration building and ask unless you want me to report a diplomatic incident. If you stay here, I will put you in the brig." Ironhide glared down at her levelly meeting her rather fearless gaze. She stared at him, then nodded. "Alright. I will get information."
"But not here," Ironhide said. "Leave."
She looked at him, then turned to walk briskly out stepping over cables and other bits and pieces of the rebuild. He watched her go with a slow burn, then turned and looked around. The walls were up and no one human sized could see inside. He was standing in the rec room where most of the building machinery was set up. The medbay was nearby still unfinished but filled with equipment and supplies that would be installed as they rewound the clock backwards to pre-attack.
Turning, he walked into the Ops Center noting that it was nearly up to speed. A few cosmetic tweaks were in order but the consoles were up and running. It was going to be beautiful. The ceiling going up now was going up to shelter the entire facility much more quickly than planned which would be good. Rain was a given this time of year and they didn't relish the prospects of deluges.
:Ironhide:
:What? Where are you and what are you doing?:
:I just dropped the whelps off at school. I think Praxus is taking after Hero:
Ironhide considered that, then blinked. :He's talking?:
:He is. Most of the time:
:Did you tell the school?:
:I did. They're going to assess him. They told me that having a good talker among the sparklings will sometimes help the others to speak better:
Ironhide considered that. :What about Spud?:
:He's still talking like a baby:
:I WANT TO BE THERE!:
:Hurry up and come home. By the way, I'm coming over this afternoon to supervise a bunch of stuff in the medbay:
:Good. That Mearing femme followed me into the embassy:
Pause. :That's fragged. Report it to the State Department. Return fire, Ironhide:
:I may. I'm going to complain to Prime. When you coming?:
:In a couple of joors:
:Alright. Ironhide out:
:See ya. Wouldn't want to be ya:
He could feel Ratchet's grin and returned it as he turned to walk back out. He headed across the tarmac to the airfield where Omega sat, a gigantic gleaming force of nature. The sun was warm and he felt better. His little mech was talking better. Life seldom felt better. His little mech was excelling.
Ironhide was feeling no pain. Finally.
-0-At the school
"Dog."
"Dog." (GIANT SMILE)
'Cat."
"Cat." (GIANT SMILE)
"Targ"
TARG!" (GINORMOUS SMILE AND FAT CHUCKLE)
Roto looked at the little Ratchet-wrapped Ironhide-faced little wonder bunny named Praxus and smiled his own big one. "You are cute. Did you know that?"
"To-to … I love you, To-to."
"I love you too, baby." Roto sat back and grinned. "You speak really well. Did you tell your ada?"
"I telled Ada. I telled Orion." Praxus said nodding seriously. "I telled them I say this."
"I see," Roto said.
"I see you," Praxus said. "Atar is not here."
"Where is he, baby?" Roto asked.
"He go Urp. He go help. I say why?" Praxus replied seriously.
"You did? What did they tell you?" Roto asked.
"Atar urk. Go him to that place," Praxus said. "He help."
"Your atar is helping?" Roto asked.
"Yes," he said nodding seriously. "I cry."
"You cry?" Roto asked.
"I cry," he said with a quivering chin. "Atar come home. He come home here. I cried."
Roto took Praxus into his arms and hugged him. "I'm sorry, baby. He'll be home soon."
Praxus lay against Roto and nodded. "We play then."
Roto grinned. "I know you will."
They sat together chatting while Roto comforted the little baby.
-0-On the Military Air Field, Autobot City, Mars
Ratchet walked to Cosmos and boarded, sitting on a seat along the wall. He had a lot of diagnostic tools in his subspace that he would use for the refit of medbay. He settled in as Cosmos lifted off heading into the night time of space. As he did a flight of Seekers were landing at Charon in orbit around Pluto to speak with Silverclaw and Thunderbolt about surrender.
Behind them flying swiftly, Wild Rider and Drag Strip were following.
TBC July 13, 2013
*SeaBees: Naval engineers, Construction Battalion, who build things. :D
NOTES: Some information about Diego Garcia for Jay: (SPELLINGS WERE LEFT IN THE UK STYLE IN HONOR OF THE BRITISH OWNERSHIP OF THE ISLANDS) It was taken over by the British and the inhabitants were expelled. That is a very sad story. The name Diego Garcia was probably a misreading of Dio Gratia by early map makers. The French used it as a leper colony and as a coconut plantation manned by slaves. The British won it in the Treaty of Paris after the Napoleonic Wars. The British bought out the entire region so that the Americans could build a base there in exchange for discounts on submarines. They have it until 2-14 with options past that time. Plantations were closed on the footprint shaped atoll. Because of changing world events, the naval station there was enlarged and the air base was built.
THERE ARE FACILITIES THERE FOR NAVY AND AIR: The military facilities on Diego Garcia after 1980 consist of two parallel 12,000-foot-long (3,700 m) runways, expansive parking aprons for heavy bombers, 20 new anchorages in the lagoon, a deep water pier, port facilities for the largest naval vessels in the American or British fleet, aircraft hangars, maintenance buildings and an air terminal, a 1,340,000 barrels (213,000 m3) fuel storage area, with billeting and messing facilities for thousands of sailors and support personnel from the ships that are stationed there as well as the facility itself.
THE BRITS OWN IT: UK represents the Territory internationally. A local government does not exist. The administration is represented in the Territory by the Officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia, the 'Brit Rep'. Laws and regulations are designed by the Commissioner and enforced by the Brit Rep.
Of major concern to the Brit Rep and his government is the relationship with the United States military forces resident on Diego Garcia. An annual meeting called "The Pol-Mil Talks" (for Political-Military) of all concerned is held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to resolve any issues. These resolutions are formalized by an "Exchange of Notes", or, since 2001, an "Exchange of Letters".
ITS HORSE SHOE SHAPPED: Diego Garcia is the largest land mass in the Chagos Archipelago. It is a coral atoll about 174 square kilometres (67 sq mi) in size of which 27.19 square kilometres (10 sq mi) is dry land. The atoll rim stretches 40 miles (64 km) from one end to the other enclosing a lagoon 13 miles (21 km) long and up to 7 miles (11 km) wide with a 4-mile (6 km) pass opening at the north. There are three small islands located in the pass. The island consists of the largest continuous atolls in the world.
IT IS NARROW: The dry land rim varies in width from a few hundred metres to 2.4 km. Typical of coral atolls, it has a maximum elevation on some dunes on the ocean side of the rim of nine metres (30ft) above low water. The rim nearly encloses a lagoon about 19 kilometres (12 mi) long and up to 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide. The atoll forms a nearly complete rim of land around a lagoon, enclosing 90 percent of its perimeter with an opening only in the north. Besides the main island, there are three small islets at the mouth of the lagoon.
ITS SMALL WITH DEEP WATER: It is small with deep water located for big ships. There are coral heads sticking up that make it hazardous to navigate and the reef offers no ocean-side anchorage. They anchor inside. The channel and ship anchorages must be dredged.
ITS MARSHY IN THE SOUTH: Significant salt-water wetlands called barachois exist in the southern half of the lagoon. These are small lagoons off of the main lagoon filled with seawater at high tide and dry at low tide. Scientific expeditions in 1996 and 2006 described the lagoon and surrounding waters of Diego Garcia along with the rest of the Chagos Archipelago as "exceptionally unpolluted" and "pristine".
ALL ANIMAL/PLANT LIFE CAME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE: There are no endemic species of plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans, or mammals on Diego Garcia or in the surrounding waters. There are several endemic fish and aquatic invertebrates. All plants, wildlife, and aquatic species are protected to one degree or another. In addition, much of the lagoon waters are protected wetlands and large parts of the island are nature preserves.
IT JIGGLES: Diego Garcia is frequently subject to earthquakes caused by tectonic plate movement along the Carlsberg Ridge located just to the west of the island. One was recorded in 1812; one measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale hit on November 30, 1983. (Contrast that to the one in Alaska that was 9.6 on the Richter Scale and lasted nearly 6 MINUTES in 1964. Some even raise that quake to a 10.4)
ITS WARM BECAUSE OF THE OCEAN: Diego Garcia has a monsoonal season associated with the Asian Monsoonal wind regime. Sea surface temperatures are in the range of 80-84 °F/26-28 °C year-round.
THEY HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF THEIR WATER SUPPLY EVEN THOUGH IT RAINS LIKE CRAZY THERE: Rainfall average is in excess of 102.5 inches/260 cm per year on average. It perks down and floats on the subterranean salt water so they can use it. :D On Diego Garcia today, the military base uses over 100 shallow "horizontal" wells to produce over 560,000 liters per day - sufficient water for western style usage for a population of 3,500. (4000 is the estimated population of the island according to Wikipedia) They have to be careful about how much their wells draw because salt can form upward if there is too much taken and it can be polluted easily. Once polluted, it takes forever to flush out and reform. Excavations for the base created man-made lakes which help. They capture rain fall in cisterns.
IT RAINS LIKE CRAZY THERE: All precipitation falls as rain. May to December is wettest. February is the driest, August is the wettest month averaging 298 mm of rain.
ITS ALWAYS SUMMER THERE: The surrounding sea surface temperature ensures temperatures with an average maximum of 30 °C (86 °F) by day during March and April, and 29 °C (84 °F) in July through September. 87 degrees is normal at night. Humidity is high throughout the year. The almost constant breeze keeps conditions reasonably comfortable.
IT RAINS IN LATER AND LATEST PARTS OF THE DAY: Activity is generally noticed during the afternoon and evenings during the summer months (December through March).
TYPHOONS (HURRICANES) AREN'T A BIG DEAL: Diego Garcia is at minimum risk from tropical cyclones due to its proximity to the equator.
The airfields are parallel and 12,000 feet long. They do deep space surveillance on the island. :D
IT ALL GOES IN, IT ALL GOES OUT: All consumables including food is brought in and all waste shipped out. All animal, bird and fish life is protected. The terrain ranges from mossy lush forests with 12 different kinds of trees to marshy land with cattails and open spaces with scrubby brush.
GOING FOR A SPIN: All roads are white with crushed corral as the basis for them. The buildings are rather beautiful looking in their settings. Think of the Hawaiian Naval Station or Bermuda. :D
There. You are now experts. :D :D :D Thank you, Wikipedia. :D :D :D