The Diego Diaries: Strategy 4 (433) edited
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
The brouhaha coming over the monitors were loud and clear. N.E.S.T. officials from all over the place on two worlds weren't happy. Their personal honor had been impinged and all were hot as hell about it. General Morshower in a conference call with John Fulton, Colonel Briers-Johnson of Britain, Commanding-Europe, Colonel Jose Medea of Argentina, Commanding-South America and Colonel Xiang Chen of China, Commanding-Asia were incredibly angry, their visages filling the monitors around the Ops Center.
Listening with occasional comment, the Autobots and their human on site allies who were standing on the table nodding with deeply frowny faces were in complete agreement. Morshower who was boss of N.E.S.T Global Command world wide spoke for them all. "Those fuckers haven't got a clue. Optimus, we are going to issue a statement regarding their remarks and contentions. Right now, we don't feel the need to be passive."
"I can understand, Glenn," Optimus said with a nod. "The soldier and Autobot alliance is deeply important to us as well. I can speak to this matter if you require it."
:General: Jessie said stepping closer. :We would like to speak about this here as independent individuals. We would like to appear on the daily shows like 'Good Morning, Autobot City' and The Hourly News. Maybe even '*!THE JAZZ AND BLASTER SHOW!* if you agree:
Morshower considered that, then nodded. "In your capacity as a civilian exercising your first amendment rights, yes."
The soldiers glanced at each other then relaxed a bit. The conversation continued as they planned their own push back together.
-0-Around the city
The newscast had gotten around, many of the citizens of the colony tuning in to watch and listen. Everyone knew the story of the settlement of Cybertronians here over the past six years Earth time. They had lived on Earth for several before moving here to set up the colony and rescue everyone who could come. The knowledge that some on Earth didn't want them anywhere near this sector let alone living on the next planet over also was clearly known. The names of the miscreants at and speaking during the rally were also well known.
"What do you think about the rally on Earth? Those humans who hate us?" Tyro said as he walked to the drawing table in the construction center where the plans were kept for the big dig outside. Bulkhead who was standing by the window watching a crane move steel upward into a new building shrugged. "Not all humans have sense. Plenty of them do but not the politicians or the rich ones. They wouldn't last a moment without us. I don't know why they can't get it."
"Don't try, Only one," Tyro said as he traced a line on the datapad to the connection he was looking for. "Look at this, Bulkhead."
He came over and together they began to map out the construction of the power system for the floors of a building that was now taller than most at 85 stories. It would be part of five in a pentagon shaped square that would be linked by walkways spanning outward from them to the forest of buildings that would be the new homes of millions some day.
It was colossal how much like home it would look when it was finished.
-0-IntraComm
Revet walked in and sat in his office, a small space off the main studio that Blaster and Jazz used for their broadcast. He was working out a series of interviews for that show and two others that wanted humans to speak about the situation abroad. He would book his guests then help out the others since he had reached them first. All in an orn's work. He finished his requests, then sent them off for confirmation. Rising, walking down the corridor to the studios, he opened one and stepped inside.
"This is Blaster. What's on your processor?" could be heard as he walked in. The answer would be lost inside the soundproof room as the door closed behind him.
-0-Out there
The bleak sun barely broke through the toxic atmosphere of smoke and impurities that had filled the sky since their arrival. The camp was not big but it was important. They were digging out and smelting precious metals for the war machine that they had so bravely if not wisely opposed. Their conditions were deplorable but they managed. Their beliefs were a solace even if the poor conditions vexed their very sparks.
Trudging to the mines, they worked in darkness. Trudging back when the orn was over, they did so equally in the dark. It was a nightmare tunnel that never seemed to end. They passed by mechs bearing the black paint and white detailing of the Household Guard. That is, they were the mocking Decepticon version of Sentinel Prime's imperial fantasies. The imperial imprimatur had been passed from that weak and ineffectual miscreant to a real tyrant, Megatron. They watched the prisoners pass without expression.
Turning, talking to the camp commander who was both pleased and annoyed to get an unannounced visit from the top, they turned and walked to their ship. Entering, lifting off, they settled down for the flight. One of them turned to another, the other being Soundwave's chief of staff. "This is abominable."
He nodded. "Prime needs the intel. We have four more to go, then we will send it. Dai will send the rest. Between us, we have to be ready. This could go wrong and we might have to show our hand early."
"I hope not," the pilot said. "It would be much too soon for the rebellion."
The Chief of Staff of the General Administration of the Ruling Junta, personal adjutant of Soundwave, Governor-General of Cybertron nodded. "It would,' he said quietly.
The ship disappeared into the night time of space.
-0-At the prison
Barricade and Scorponok received the news that they would get their provisional privileges back with smirks. "I see that Prime is as soft sparked as ever."
The Officer of the Orn glanced up from his datapad at the pair. "Actually, you would be wrong again. He wanted to smelt you but he figured that it would produce such base metal it was easier to let you walk around until you fragged up." He smirked. "You will frag up and then you're ours again."
The two glared at him, then glanced back at the bars. Sideways was standing by the bars with outrage on his face. Nearby seething with outrage as well, the Stunticons watched the two go through the
re-orientation of their new status. Blindspot and Turmoil watched too, Blindspot winding up to a vocal outburst while Turmoil held his own counsel. When that was accomplished, the Officer of the Orn nodded. "Get them on their way," he said turning to the three guards who would manage them. "If they so much as litter, shoot them."
The guards grinned and nodded watching as the pair passed them and followed as they walked out the gate to the city beyond. Behind the Officer of the Orn the miscreants still in the prison exploded.
"YOU FRAGGERS! WHAT ABOUT US!" -Motormaster
"WHAT THE FRAG HAPPENED TO THE LAW!?" -paraphrasing the Stunticons
The Officer of the Orn turned to give them a cool gaze. "Which laws? The ones you broke all the time? Or the ones you ignored?"
The abuse that greeted that was met and only exceeded by that of Blind Spot. The Officer of the Orn turned and left with a slight grin. The bars went up. The abuse went on. It was another day in the lock up.
Nearby, Sentinel and the others listened to the screaming wafting their direction. It was colorful, anatomically impossible, insulting to various and sundry pedigrees and classic lower caste hoo-haw. Burris stood beside him along with Decimus and Proteus. "What a collection of riff raff. They should have been smelted a long time ago."
"You had your chance," Proteus said smirking at Burris who had been a whining pain in the aft for some time. "I'm surprised you didn't."
"I did as much as I could," Burris said with a slight affront. "You were no slacker on that accord yourself."
Proteus looked at the outraged individuals in the cell block two over and shrugged. "Those are the creation of our actions no matter how much we want it to be otherwise. That is what happens when ambitions and opportunity are thwarted and turn inward. That is the outcome of oppression, dead ended dreams and hopelessness. No matter how we may think we were doing the will of the gods, make no mistake. We were refining the metal of the knife that would be pressed against our own throats. And the servo that held it there? It was our own," he said.
They stood without comment watching the show nearby.
-0-At the University
They sat in class listening to the lectures, taking notes and making plans for assignments and labs that would be upcoming. When they stood to leave, they met in the corridor and walked to the commons. Finding a seat, they paused to look at the monitor nearby. The news anchors were talking about the rally of anti-Autobots that had taken place in Atlanta, Georgia, a city on Earth. Listening to it, glancing worriedly at each other, they rose and walked to the doorway. They stepped out and continued onward.
-0-Ravel and Tie Down, RTR Tools where a monitor is playing the news
"What do you suppose this means for our alliance, Tie?" Ravel asked as he stood monitoring a smelter in the work room.
"It is the logical outcome of fear, Ravie. Fear of the unknown, fear of the unexpected … it means that we have to work harder to show them our quality." Tie Down looked up from where he was grinding an edge on a long knife, an edge no one else seemed to be able to duplicate. Only RTR Tools ever could. "Don't worry, Ravie. Our younglings are on top of it."
-0-Ops Center, Mars
"Fraggers. Should I go down there and slag them?" Ratchet asked as he sat holding Prowler. The humans had left to go to make interviews and the group was relaxing around the table only slightly mollified with the calls and conversations from the local humans and those on Earth.
"I will come. A few well placed shots and problem over," Ironhide said.
Prowl smirked, then rose and purloined the sparkling. Sitting, he grinned. "I'll keep the sparkling until you come back."
"Slagger." -Ratchet, Alor, Blackjack and Ironhide.
Prime snorted, then grinned. "Well, some things change, some never change."
A pause by the door drew their attention. Prime stood and waved them in. Kestrel and Tagg walked in self consciously pausing by the table. Ironhide rose to find chairs but the two demurred. "We can't bother you, son," Kestrel said.
They were given chairs anyway along with multiple invitations to sit and stay so they did putting their studies and books on the table. Prime leaned forward. "How was school?" he asked.
"Exciting," Tagg said with a smile. "There is so much to learn." Kestrel nodded, then a look of anxiety crossed his face. "Son … we are worried about the broadcast."
Everyone glanced at each other, then Prime nodded. "Don't be. This is part of the process, Ada. The alliance is incredibly strong and we have been fielding calls from Earth saying so from our allies."
Kes and Tagg glanced at each other, then relaxed. "Very well. We were so worried for you, Orion. You have so many responsibilities."
Everyone grinned having their awww moment, then Ratchet glanced at them. "That's what Prowl is for. Optimus plays, Prowl shovels."
Optimus glanced at Ratchet, then grinned. "Shhh," he said with exaggerated aplomb. It was the right touch. They sat and chatted about this and that, school, conferences, the first that Kes and Tagg would attend and the worries of the world receded a bit.
-0-At the school
"And that would be a good one," Terradive said writing the suggestion of a student on the board behind him. "What else?"
"We can tell them of football. I played as a forward wing," a pupil said with a smile.
"I played too," several other students said nodding.
"We can tell them about Sunny's dog, Spot," Silverbow said. "Can we draw pictures too?"
"You can," Terradive said with a grin. "Art and letters, they go together so well."
"We can tell them about camping. I went camping this year," Comet said. "Turbo and I went camping with our genitors at the campground in the Vales Marineris. That was fun."
They continued, all of them adding to the long list of things that could be topics in the pen pal letters to their new partners on Earth. Everyone contributed but Sunspot. He sat quietly, his arm around Spot and dreaded the moment when he would have to try to write to a human.
The afternoon passed by slowly.
-0-TBC September 15, 2013
NOTE: First of all, the readers of this story are alagging awesome. Thank all of you hugely. :D:D:D
Secondly, the ending movie of the Transformers: Prime series is coming up and will apparently set up the series that follows for next year, Fall of 2014. The saga apparently is continued not ending with this movie due to be shown October fourth. Because this list is awesome and yes, I am speaking to you, F*********4 honey, I have a clue in the next part of this note for you. :D:D:D
As you may know, the USA gets to see the TF series pretty quickly because of the Hub which runs it. But the website that we all know …
"HEY! YOUTU(BE)! BEHAVE YOURSELF!"
Where was I? Oh yeah. The website that shows the series ahead of usual broadcasts or just after has shown the series year three and they are all there. So is the ending movie. How? Who knows. I am just amazed. Thank you all and I hope you get what I'm saying here.
PS, F*********4, I kept your identity hidden. :D:D:D:D:D:D ;)