The Diego Diaries: Giddy Up, Go (501) edited
-0-Early morning at the Military Airfield, Autobot City, Mars
They gathered, the troops that were to board the vessels. A former 'Con battleship was going to be carrying a complement of 500 Autobot soldiers ... special ops, Wrecker and regular army. Among that formidable group were 'Cons who had signed on for regular army duty. They would be going into possible combat for the first time with Autobots. The only Home Guard that would be allowed along were those doing guard duty in the brigs of the battleship, the Phobos or other security as well as engineering or ship operations.
Blackjack would be managing the armada. Flint would be coordinating with him. All prisoners would be transported to him for storage until there was time to process them. He would also be doing deep space monitoring of Paragon and Cyclonus. Paragon's strength had doubled so his response now fell into the 'who knows what the slagger will do' range.
Prime was going out with them to see for himself what they were facing. If there were dangerous Decepticons or others in the mix he would personally slag them to the Pit. When things were sorted and clear, he would bridge back to Autobot City and help out at this end.
Ratchet would fly out on Moonbase, itself the new deep space medical ship with greater ward potential and room for expanded facilities. Kappa would remain behind with the rest of the giants to help sort out ships determined under the direction of Omega whether they would be salvaged, repaired or scrapped. The flood of vessels from this group posed staggering logistical problems. A segment of Mars 300 miles south of Autobot City, a plain with a very flat rocky surface would be the place where they would take vessels after evaluation for temporary storage. Care had been taken to protect the surface of the region against contamination. It would be returned to pristine condition when they were finished.
Reports from the 500 Seekers were coming back, the grid mapping system that was developed by Silverclaw, himself a logistical genius of the first water was proving invaluable. The closest estimation of the size of their refugee mass was pegged at 989,000 give or take 10,000. Flyover scans of the individual ships had formulated the number but it could and probably would rise as the actual individuals touched down and were counted by the data specialists of Intake-Refugees, City Bureau of Vital Statistics and Population.
It could increase their city population by over one third overnight.
-0-City Engineer's Office, City Hall, Metroplex Administrative District, Autobot City, Mars
Jetta stared at the map on the table calculating the number of housing units he had for the mass coming their way. They would barely cover this number at present estimations with about 10,000 to spare. He called a short meeting with his staff, the union foremen and others related to housing and city engineering.
"I am pleased that Tyger Pax and Centurion are completely ready for residents. What is the status of Kalis?" he asked of his brother, his right servo mech.
Mack consulted his datapad, then looked at Jetta earnestly. "We are 75% through the finished process. We should if we go through Tyger Pax and Centurion first have the process finished by the time we need the apartments."
Jetta looked relieved. "Now let's talk about the new cities."
They leaned into the new diagram on the big roll up architectural map before them. On the grid with staggered designations of priority were a cluster of cities like Tyger Pax, Centurion and Kalis. They numbered seven, were designed to be interconnected and Cybertronian in design and function. They were to be located on the other side of the highway from the tri-cities. Three were being built now, the foundations and infrastructure underway under the direction of Copperton. The rest would come next with all seven part and parcel of one vast cityscape. They would be built according to need and the timetable of rescue. They would be like all the rest … beautiful.
-0-The window of a highrise
He looked out at the airfield. Beyond, a huge military operation was getting underway. For the first time he didn't feel fear to see it. On Cybertron, they happened frequently. He learned to live with his optics downcast. He didn't look up or around, nor did he question anything. He just endured. His Docker needed him to do that and so did Corr and Chan. They were the only things left of their life and families so they endured. Somewhere in the universe, their Sonny worked to save them. They would endure to see him again and live free.
Now he was. He was free and he had his grandson again. The bounty of riches that was his was bittersweet. The other three were still on Cybertron getting by. They didn't know the good fortune of their little mech or the colony in which he found himself. A pang wracked him. He stood staring at the Autobrands on the ships and the glimpsed figure now and then of their Prime.
Optimus would save them. He would help them find each other. He himself had to get better, then help. Turning slowly, walking carefully, he returned to bed and tucked in. Relaxing against an unimaginable softness, covered in unimaginably expensive coverings, Appa Ratchet drifted off into recharge once more.
-0-At a classroom in Terra
Uraya watched the infants in the toy center playing with dollies and other toys. They were mimicking their genitors, playing 'families' and 'babies' together. She stood to one side watching them with a dollie clutched in one servo and her thumb in her mouth. Glancing around, she walked to the sandbox and stood. There were little trucks that could dig sand with their little front end shovels. She sat her dollie down, then took one. Kneeling down, she began to build a road that would be able to support her little gravel pit nearby. Free play time would fly by.
-0-In another space
"Dog."
"DOG!"
"Cat."
"CAT!" He paused, then smiled. Leaning forward to hold Roto's face and bring it closer to his own, Orion grinned. "Cat? Cat in hat. Boo fishes. Red cat, fat cat." He sat back intensely pleased.
Roto grinned in spite of himself. "Welcome."
"WECLUM!" -giant twinkly opticed grin zinged back at grinning speech therapist and all around pal, MR. TOTO!
"Welcome, Orion."
"WECLUM, ORION!" He grinned. "ME, ORION! I ME, ORION! SHE, TOTO!"
Roto snorted, then sat back grinning at the yellow banded infant sitting on the table in front of him. "Hoodlum."
"HOO-HUM!"
Roto grinned. "Goof ball."
"OOF OOF!"
Roto laughed, then smirked slightly. "Lunch."
Orion considered the word, then smiled brilliantly. "LUTCH!"
"Lun ...ch."
"LUT … CH! LOO LOO! WHOO WHOO! HOO HOO! LUTCH!LUTCH!LUTCH! ME, LUTCH! YOU, TOTO!"
Roto guffawed, then laughed out loud. Laret who was standing in the doorway with Herling struggled not to howl along with him. Orion glanced at his belly button, then looked up spotting them. "Hi," he said in a breathy quiet voice.
Herling had to go to his office to howl with laughter to prevent disruption to classrooms all around. Laret didn't make it out of the doorway.
-0-Prowl
He stood in the Ops Center going over the line up with Optimus who was getting ready to stand out with Blackjack. That redoubtable figure was standing next to him with Flint and Alor. They were the command crew of the mission. Flint would bridge off the Phobos when they came within range of his fortress. Fort Apache had already kitted out their security areas for incoming troublemakers. The notion of bad mechs among the good ones was always a possibility and intel appeared to be backing that likelihood.
"Then we can go into countdown to lift off?" Prowl asked staring up at Prime as they finalized the last details. Ironhide who had finished checking off the munitions of the force walked up to stand beside his ada.
"I think so," Prime said glancing at Ironhide. "We're armed to the teeth?"
Ironhide nodded. "We are," he said.
"Good. Let's roll out," Optimus said as he kissed Prowl. Turning, he walked toward the door, the others following.
Ironhide watched them go, then turned to Prowl. "I want you to promise me something."
Prowl smirked slightly, then nodded. "Alright."
Ironhide opened his hold and pulled out a tiny Seeker bag with a happily smiling little winger tucked into it, his tiny chevron glowing red, a pear hat on his little helm. He kissed Prowler, then handed him to Prowl. "Don't let the schools know he exists. You take him on until I get back. Old mech will have him in school before he's ready. Has too much to learn from me yet. I need his advice on things."
Prowl grinned. "Done deal," he said.
Ironhide who looked immensely relieved nodded, then turned walking out. Prowl watched him go, then looked at the little bit lying happily on his servo. A stem from the little pear hat looked perky he thought. "Well, little one … the handsomest baby I have seen in many a vorn if I say so myself … you are mine." He brought Prowler closer to his face, then whispered. "All of you are mine. All. Of. You." With a big grin, he turned back to the table of work and the pleasure of caring for a tiny infant once more.
-0-On the tarmac
The big ships were loading, the Master of the Muster checking off the crew complements as they reported in. When each ship met muster, he would signal Fortress Maximus Flight Tower the 'go' was green. He passed the big battleships, then the heavy cruisers and the ten Wrecker battle shuttles that were going as well. The huge tankers and the three ships that would be platforms for Seekers to rest, refuel and rearm were already in space waiting to go through The Trigger.
Prime paused by him, then continued onward with his officers to the Phobos. Nearby, the Moonbase was taxiing to join the incredible array of vessels that were heading out to the flight line for take off. As they reached Phobos so did the humans who had gotten the go to leave. Among them were General Morshower and Colonel Fulton. Seymour Simmons and Charlotte Mearing had already joined their complement on board.
By the time they were aboard the ramp was retracting, the hatches sliding together as the engines revved to begin the short journey to the flight line. It was an astounding sight to see monstrously huge alien ships follow each other, one after another toward the runways. Other ships followed too, making their way to leave.
The cameras of the filmmakers worked alongside the cameras of IntraComm to get the images needed for their respective programs. They would stay there until the last ship disappeared into the sky.
-0-Ratchet
He walked through the hospital ship with the added red crosses he had asked for on the tail portion of the vessel. It had been a joke between Prowl and himself, the idea of a white hospital ship with his color format. He had asked ships maintenance to add them and they did. Prowl actually laughed out loud when he saw it later that orn.
He reached the bridge, then crossed it to stand beside Revo. Moving to sit in the chair next to the captain's seat he relaxed. "We're ready to go. Any more word about the 'Cons out there?"
"No. Just that they're really bad and giving everyone around them a hard time. They seem to be setting up to be another Turmoil."
"Oh great." Ratchet frowned. "This could get ugly."
"I'm sure it will, Ratchet. Unfortunately," Revo said with a nod. He looked at the back of his forearm, at the enigmatic face of the first Autobot. "We'll school them on the error of their ways," he said as he relaxed his arm.
Ratchet grinned. "Cool," he said as the blossom of oblivion opened before them and the soldier's ships began to fly into it. They would follow in support.
Then it would close.
-0-TBC November 7, 2013
NOTE: Leoness: I was a tomboy growing up. I loved it. Uraya was slated to be the tomboy of the twins. She will play whatever everyone else is but has her own ways. I want to see how Sunstreaker reacts to that. He's so intense. Uraya is quieter and more introverted than Iacon. I am going to show that as we go. I am adding the infants more into the story and will start a couple of Chronicles here too as well. :D