The Diego Diaries: Talk 3 (413)
-0-At the goat rodeo
Ratchet considered his thoughts a moment, then began. "The day was like any other. Nothing on the radar or sensors of either Earth Ops or Mars indicated anything was amiss here. We, later that morning were following the emergence of a group of what we would understand to be Insecticons from a cavern deep underground near Naples, Italy.
"I was on my way here for a number of routine issues when the base came under attack. I'd just stepped from the shuttle from Mars when the Insecticons rose from the ocean and began to fire on anything and everything that moved. The base was caught off guard. All of us, the Autobot garrison began to return fire and take the civilians and soldiers outside and around the center of fire to safety. They began by targeting the Embassy, then spread out to target everything. It was clear that they were here to annihilate everyone.
"Several humans were injured and many more gathered up by Autobots on the ground and some of the soldiers. Sargent Jessie Landon rescued a number of civilians and fired on Insecticons who were attacking the hangars where they'd fled. She was out of her league but you can't fault her on guts. I was there firing, then saw some humans in danger out in the open. I ran to them shooting upward, collected them and returned but not before taking a shot to the shoulder.
"I fired with Commander Alor directing the fight. Jolt, Blurr and other Autobots rescued humans, killed three Insecticons and made the fight so hot they turned and fled. All of the buildings but two were destroyed. The electronics building and the transient officer barracks that we'd built years before were the only things standing.
"All of the planes on the ground were destroyed. All of the command centers were destroyed. The Embassy was smashed flat. Our first responsibility was securing the base personnel. It was a blessing that the fleet was out and not here to be targeted as well. We dug out the injured, arranged for them to be flown to the base hospital at Ramstein in Germany and collected the dead. Three soldiers were lost, airmen who worked in the flight tower. Their location sealed their fate.
"The three were known to us. They were friends, colleagues and allies. It pains me in ways I struggle to enunciate that you would politicize their deaths and make them some kind of sick talking point to use for your own ends. They were ours and we were theirs. We were brothers at arms and we were one. Your sad attempt to make this into something that it wasn't reflects poorly on your soul, Congressman. We're one here."
"Your presence there caused the death of three American soldiers," Mathers persisted. "If you hadn't been there this wouldn't have happened."
"It would've and it would've been far, far worse. If you were actually capable of thinking around your politics, you would understand that Insecticons are 35-40 feet tall and as formidable as Megatron. How do you propose to fight them yourselves?" Out of the corner of Ratchet's optics, he could see Major Andrew Settles walking toward where he sat. He looked pissed.
"If you were gone, the situation would not be a problem," Mathers insisted.
At that point, Settles entered the scene. He looked at Ratchet and the big medic leaned down to listen as Settles spoke to him off mike.
-0-Mars
"Oh oh." -Prowl holding a smiling little tweeter with a similar name.
"Settles looks hot." -Ironhide watching the little tweeter out of the corner of his optics.
"He does." -Alor watching his big baby have an internal 'waa' now that someone else had his son.
"We shall see. The humans are being managed by Glenn." -Prime who was enjoying everyone including the big whiner, the glossy red chevroned one, the genitors and uncle having an internal snicker over the big whiner's 'waa' and the infant. That was one cute little infant he mused. Then he paid attention again.
-0-Diego Garcia, Earth
Ratchet turned to the cameras. "Major Andrew Settles was present at the time of the attack as was Colonel Fulton, the commandant of the US Forces and Ground Commander of N.E.S.T. and Major Lily Bolger, both of whom are still on Mars. Major Settles would like to address any questions that you have involving the American or Global N.E.S.T. Forces who were here during the attack and afterward. Major?" Ratchet said nodding to the tense human who turned to the monitors.
"Congressmen Mathers, Piccolo and other members of the committee, I'm here to address any questions you have about the conduct of the human contingent on base and the casualties that occurred. I do so at the behest of Colonel Fulton, Commanding and General Morshower, Director of the Global N.E.S.T. Forces."
"General Morshower has citizenship among the Cybertronians as does his family, Colonel Fultons' and several others. Why would their words have meaning now? It's clear that they've been co-opted by the aliens and serve them more than they do their own species. I feel that they're as responsible for the casualties as the Autobots," Mathers said doubling down.
Settles gathered himself, then shook his head. "General Morshower, with all due respect, Congressman, forgot more about this mission and what it takes than you and the committee together will ever know. How you can say that is beyond me. We fight hard and work harder every day to protect the Earth and everyone there. How dare you say what you just did?"
"Because he's a man who never put himself into danger when he could send someone else to do it," Ratchet replied. Then he looked down at Settles. "Oh. Was that a rhetorical question?"
Settles looked at Ratchet, then grinned. "No. It was a condemnation. If you were here and could have the privilege of working around the bots, you wouldn't have the warped opinions you have, Congressman. It's a privilege all of us everyday feel to work with these soldiers. I'll never know all the things they do. They're honorable and brave. They go into the worst places to route out the enemy, places you don't have to go because they do. I'm tired of civilians feeling they can speak on military matters on a level with soldiers when they don't have even the slightest military background of their own. Sir."
Ratchet leaned down and placed his servo before Settles. The Major climbed on and up he went to where Ratchet sat. "There. You can look him in the eyes when you throw down, Major. He has a point, Congressman. How do you become the military expert when a simple internet search reveals you to be someone without any military service whatsoever? I'm not downplaying the seriousness of this situation. I'm just calling you out, too. What makes you the expert over Morshower, Fulton, Settles or even me?"
Mathers looked at him, then sat back. "I know a con when I see one."
Ratchet grinned. "So … you finally lay your focus on the table."
Snickers could be heard as Mathers sat straighter. "This is not a joke, Ambassador."
"No, It's not. It's also not Armageddon for anyone but the three families. Your attempt and that of your supporters to make it so incurs disrespect to the dead. There would've been mass casualties at this base without us here. The Insecticons probably don't even know that Megatron is not here. They're following another leader, a smart unpredictable ruthless leader.
"Why if you claim to love your planet and her people so much do you want to leave them open to slaughter by Arachnid? She's a head hunter. Many is the skull of unlucky species that decorates the walls of her ships. I'm sure if she could she would add yours. Why would you take away the only force with the experience and firepower to put her down? Why don't you love Earth and her people more than that? I'm truly, sincerely unclear about what motivates your thoughts and actions. They defy logic."
Mathers looked at him, then leaned closer as Piccolo spoke to him softly.
Piccolo sat back, then looked at Ratchet. "Congressman Mathers, your time is up. I would call upon Congressman Wiley from Delaware."
Congressman Wiley, a smart older woman leaned forward. "Thank you, Chairman Piccolo. Ambassador, It's a delight to meet you at last. Senator Andrea Hoxley of California is a very good friend of mine. Hello, Major Settles. I'm pleased to see you well again."
"Thank you, Congresswoman. We're all feeling better," Settles said as he relaxed in Ratchet's servo.
Ratchet grinned at him, then Wiley. "I'm very fond of Senator Hoxley. Please give her my regards."
"I will," Wiley said with a smile. She considered her list of questions. "Ambassador, how many injured and wounded were there? I'm aware that some injuries were people trapped in fallen buildings."
Ratchet nodded. "There were three dead, forty-four wounded, most of them minor and four that had to be sent to Ramstein including Lily Bolger and John Fulton. The base was destroyed but we rebuilt it as an offering of sympathy and support for the soldiers and civilians here who are our comrades and friends and for the Earth who was as shocked as we were by this."
"Tell us what you did to rebuild the base, please?"
"We took measurements of every building, the schematics of the original structures and the long term plans for the base going forward. After removing all the damaged buildings and devices, salvaging personal items and everything that could be reused, we sent the detailed schematics to our colony where engineers and crafts artisans skilled in making miniatures and micro-things got to work on it. It was given priority over every other thing we were doing at the time. Skilled individuals volunteered to help, some of them coming in on their own time to make things.
"The buildings were brought to Earth by shuttle and placed on the repaired and cleared footprints of the former buildings," he said as film appeared showing Hoist and Grapple placing buildings down and welding them into place. They looked like doll houses in the grip of the big bots. "As you can see, they were pieced and brought here. They were welded and glued into place, the roofs coming along last. All of the electronic and energy features were made by hand and inserted into slots on the buildings.
"The energy efficiency of the base has been quadrupled by replacing inefficient petroleum based machinery with that utilizing solar and wind energy. The cost to the public to run the installation given the improvements will be approximately $15.00 give or take a dollar or two."
"Fifteen dollars? A day? A month?" Wiley asked puzzled.
"A year," Ratchet said. "All of the buildings are wired and engineered to utilize the same technology so that the system that runs everything is housed in the same building, one of the two that survived the attack. Since it's high tech and runs on unlimited renewable energy sources, the actual cost to taxpayers to run the base here at Diego Garcia will be about $15.00 a year. That mostly has to do with stamps to mail the reports of base efficiency to the Pentagon. The sun and wind are free." Ratchet grinned. "Exciting, isn't it?"
Wiley blinked, then grinned back. "I think so."
"All of the possessions and equipment that could be salvaged were. The various craft Guilds, Unions and other groups made the furnishings and art, damaged personal items of the inhabitants, bedding and other items for the buildings and barracks following the plans and images supplied. They did, however, put the Emblem of the Primes on a number of things as a way to share their love and solidarity with the garrisons here," Ratchet said as Settles was nodding in agreement on Ratchet's servo.
"They also built the commandant a house for his comfort. The barracks are miles above what they were. they're cooled by air conditioning, comfortable and the beds are better than before. The entire facility for us is improved. They did this when they didn't have to, Congresswoman. They did it because we're one," Settles said emphatically.
Ratchet nodded. "Until all are one."
The conversation continued, then Congressman Howard Brown of Alaska took front and center. He was a loon. That is, where others joked about 'black helicopters' and other slag he actually believed it. He was a conspiracy theorist and an aggressive individual who didn't let nearly losing the last election due to the severity and extremism of his views slow him down. He looked at Ratchet who had put Settles down to go and answer a call. "Ambassador, tell me about the meaning of 'until all are one'."
Ratchet considered that, the many levels of meaning in that one underlying interlocking phrase for Cybertronians and decided to take the easiest road possible. "It means that we all stand together, as one unit, one people, one hope. Until all are one means unity."
"On Earth it means something else," Brown said glancing at Ratchet over his glasses. "It means the New World Order. It means domination of all by a few."
Ratchet considered that having researched and understood the many levels of meaning for the phrase while Brown was speaking. "I suppose it does here but for us it has a different meaning. For us, it means that we all take care of each other for the common good."
"We believe it means that the few are going to enslave the many to a godless world of death and destruction. We believe that you're the instrument for the domination of our people and the enslavement of our world," Brown said.
Ratchet looked at him and did the only thing he could think of at that moment. He laughed.
-0-Ops Center, Mars
"Oh oh." -Prowl, Alor, Blackjack, Prime, Flint, the guys at Communications who were playing fantasy football with the guys at Sensors, a row of old mechs sitting in the Senior Center in Vos Tower MST3000-ing the show as it played out, Ultra Magnus having a conniption in his office, Elita and Arcee laughing, too, as they worked in The Fortress breaking down intel from Shockwave because they knew Magnus would be having a conniption in his office in the Metroplex Administration Building, Sentinel Prime who was wondering what fresh hell the world was coming to … no one could be as dumb as Congressman Brown, then he looked over at Cell Block B and saw Motormaster slagging Dead End to the Pit and changed his mind as the guards began to run to their cell block to break it up, Smokey, Drift and Springer who were MST3000-ing Brown to themselves on their internal communications system, Rampage and Bon who were watching in between intense newly bonded fragging in their apartment which was filled with presents and ooo-la-la, Kup who had a lot to say about Brown and all of it having to do with peds and orifices and a bunch of short timers in the brig.
All of them mini-cons of course.
Brown himself didn't laugh.
-0-TBC August 28, 2013 12-3-2022
NOTE: MST 3000 was a show from back in the orn where a really awful movie was played and a guy with three robots sat watching it and making fun of it. MST3000-ing someone is making fun of them behind their backs.