Chapter 512: Chapter 512

The Diego Diaries: Phase Six 9 (512) edited

-0-At Autobot City, Mars

They stood on the plain just east of the prison itself. The expanse there was rocky but relatively flat. A group of engineers of many disciplines as well as workers gathered around Jetta and Magnus as they began to explain their problem. A critical need had raised its helm and they needed a solution as fast as could be rendered. It would begin immediately.

In the city, ships were landing endlessly so the military had to usurp the role of the Guardians while they were out in the migration adding power to the presentation for Prime. The Guardians had been removing ships under the leadership of Omega. Now the Aerialbots were supplying muscle and know how to the mess. It would be a stupendous help when the big mechs and their amazing femme returned.

Hospital …

Breakdown moved a patient in to have surgery. Knockout was working as feverishly as anyone else doing a yeoman job with the debilitated, sparked and utterly worn down. He was as proud of Knockout as he could be, the normally snarky dilettante showing his worth finally. They were assigned together and they worked smoothly, sharing the chores and funny asides as they went. He was as happy at this moment as he had been in ages.

Schools …

They sat in their lunchrooms eating their midday meal. Each classroom was going to become a home away from home for any number of students once school was let out. The school orn was going to run later allowing their genitors all the time they needed to do whatever they were doing. Then those who had families to claim them would leave while those who didn't would camp out here. It was the easiest way to go without overloading the Day Care Centers which would be handling some of the new refugees as well as Social Services. Some infants would need care while their genitors recuperated in hospitals or hospice care.

Sunspot chatted with his 'trine' while others around him discussed their great project. All over the surrounding zone of airfields and throughout the different cities, their messages of welcome were set. They would have no idea how much it mattered to those who had managed to make it to safety.

City Hall …

Dagger walked out heading for the airfield. He was a ship's electrician having learned from the masters at the airfield in an apprentice program that he had joined to impress his girl. That his girl was the truly wonderful Blondi was impetus enough for him to find a hitherto unknown delight in complex math and wiring. It was like a puzzle that he could solve so he dived into it finding endless delight in meticulous complexity. When he bonded with Blondi, his two brothers standing with him as Prime officiated, he had climbed to a pinnacle he didn't know he even wanted.

A former Decepticon warrior and all around high stepping dipshit, he had met, courted and bonded with the femme of his dreams and in doing so had been sealed in that bond by the Prime of Cybertron. It was the most unlikely of things, all of this coming to pass. He had become a master electrician-journeyman class, a bond sealed by the enemy of his former leader who was the bearer of the Matrix which he had experienced by proximity more than once. He was also soon-to-be the father of a little mech of his own.

Yes, Blondi had finally done it.

He had brought a meal to his little femme, pausing long enough to hover over her, help her put some data cubes on a cart to go to Data Processing and chat a bit. When he left, he left as he was, a changed mech. He was king of the world. He was a provider for a family he didn't know he even wanted. He was the bond of the greatest little femme that ever lived. He was intensely proud and happy. He was an Autobot, a citizen, a soon-to-be father and a bond. Now all he had to do was get his brothers hitched up and all would be great. They would have sparklings and some day their little mechs or femmes would play football. He didn't even know that he wanted to coach before now. That was the only thing that ever could be better in his life. He disappeared into the crowd outside to go back to work.

Blondi watched him go with a grin. From the moment Dagger and his two brothers had appeared at the half door to find work or go hungry, she knew he was the one. When he had left to go to his new job, they had made a date. It was a whirlwind courtship but she had held him to her clan's high standards. Her family was religious and they were in favor of him as long as he held to the expectations of her family's culture. Stanix had their own high expectations for their civil life and the clannish families that had lived there developed rules.

The Rules.

Dagger had found out immediately. No facing until bonded. No mech or femme bonds with another mech or femme that isn't prepared to take care of them properly. The understanding and expectation of sparklings, yes or no, was formalized before any bond could take place. There could be no sundering of the bond so it was considered smart to find out all the caveats and desires of both parties before hand.

All bonds were officiated by officials of the state. There could be no others. Either a priest or a real official would make the bonds. It was not enough to spark merge. Official was official. Once in a family, you were in. Like the mafia or a gang, the only way out was through a thorough slagging or a shot through the skull. Clannish was a way of life in Stanix, a land of privation and a need for families to band together for survival. It had derived a culture that had saved them and bound them into something bigger and stronger than themselves.

Dagger had marveled but come to love the idea that he had a force around him that would be there forever no matter what. He loved Blondi's family who cherished her, raising her to be smart, independent and good sparked. They were a good match.

"I want Optimus Prime to do the ceremony," Blondi had said. Dagger had blinked. But they went to him and he agreed with great happiness. Everyone had come to the rec room to see it, hundreds and hundreds of mechs and femmes. Ultra Magnus stood with the family. The parties that had been epic were held in halls and homes all over the city. They had gone to everyone of them to help their friends and fellows both family and Stanixians of all clans celebrate the bond. He had been taken aside by literally dozens of mechs and a couple of femmes who had 'read the riot act' about Blondi and her happiness. He had no arguments with them. It was good because that was a matter of course for a new bond in Stanix.

Blondi sat down opening the box of food. It was meticulous and tasty with all her favorite foods. Dagger had brought her lunch every orn since the news of her sparking. He had been solicitous and adorable in every way living up to her instinctive estimation of him that first orn. She sat and grinned, the work piling up all around her on her desk and in her office. Eating on the fly, the little femme continued to do the endless work of a city clerk for an entire colony.

At the intake north of the Military Airfield...

They stood in massive lines moving forward while individuals walked up and down tending to the refugees, answering questions, pulling some out for immediate attention while comforting those whose cognitive dissonance was reaching critical mass.

A family reached the front at last moving to sit their elders down on chairs while others sat on the benches reserved for them. A sympathetic data worker took their information, asked questions, got the data with their medical conditions from their tags, then called for someone to come take them onward. It took about half a breem before they were up following a mech to the subway nearby. Down they went heading for Tyger Pax and a new life. They would be replaced by more and so it would go for three orns before it was shut down as an unmitigated success.

-0-Out there

Kup walked quietly forward well aware that Springer was behind him. That big mech was giving him the Pit over their internal comm linkage as he worked to catch up. Kup ignored him, his intentions focused forward. The command deck was coming and he wanted to be ready for any possibility that came up.

Springer reached him, then paused. :Old mech, don't go off by yourself anymore:

:Frag that, youngling. Keep up: Kup said as they took either side of the command deck doors which were closed. They looked at each other, then Kup hit the latch device. It opened.

Both peered inside, then glanced at each other. Springer looked inside, his guns ready. "Hey. Fragger. Come out here."

"Come in here, fraggers. I won't surrender anywhere but here," Silo said as he stood beside his command chair with a rather relaxed executive officer leaning on his own. He grinned, nodding.

Springer nodded back watching with amusement as that mech walked toward the door, then paused looking back at Silo. "Come on. You made your point. Let's get out of here." He turned continuing onward to the rec room where everyone else was.

Kup walked in pausing before Silo. "You ready to go, fragger, or do you want to have a ceremony?"

Silo snorted in spite of himself. "Some day when some fragger takes your toys away I will remember to laugh in your face, old mech."

"I don't have any toys so start laughing now, fragger," Kup said as he followed Silo to the door. They walked down to the rec room where a mopey group of 50 stood waiting. A relaxed bemused Magec sat on a table watching with a grin. "Time to go now, Dad?" he asked Kup.

"You don't seem too upset, fragger. Why?" Sandstorm said, slightly peeved that no one put up resistance.

Magec looked at him, then grinned. "I heard that you have Cybertronian football going at your colony."

Every audial in the group perked up and as one they turned toward Kup who nodded his helm. "We do."

It was the right word at the right time. There was nary a false move as the fifty-two individuals moved to get ready to load up on Kappa. Only then did Springer signal Prime that all was well in the mob.

-0-A shuttle to a ship

It pulled up along side Target's flagship pausing beside a docking door near the command deck. A transport light shot across to the shuttle enabling the group inside to be brought across. As they reached the ship, their weapons out but pointed down, the bots inside stood silently watching. A group of ten spit shined soldiers greeted them along with Target and his executive officer, Source.

Ironhide looked at them, then around before turning toward Target. That mech stepped forward nodding. "We have surrendered the group. All of our ships are complying with the Prime's demands. I am awaiting your orders, Ironhide."

Ironhide nodded. "I have soldiers waiting to board your ships including boarding specialists among the Seekers. Have your ships powered down and are personal arms in fused lockers?"

"I have ordered it and there has been answers of compliance. That is my guarantee to you. I am expecting my soldiers to hold to discipline," Target said.

"That would be nice but I will go with the expectation that they won't," Ironhide said. "Ironhide to Prime."

"Prime here."

"I am with Target and his command team. He says that the ships are in compliance. Do we board and get things in order for transport?"

"If you believe its time, you have discretion," Prime said.

"Very well. Ironhide out." The big mech looked at Target. "Lead the way," he said motioning Target with his servo.

Target nodded, then turned leading the way. Ironhide followed noting the perfect demeanor of a graduate of the Autobot Military Academy and its related Officer's School. He would know. He was too.

-0-Out there

Omega Supreme turned with Beta, Alpha and Gamma. They disappeared into the swirling vortex of the bridge to return to The City and the disposition of the masses of ships gathering there. Xantium, a purely military ship along with Zeta and Kappa who weren't would return later with different cargoes. Kappa would take the 200 mechs of Silo's group to the brig then return while Xantium would carry some of the remaining slaggers with the less experienced Zeta. Zeta had been a command module for most of his career without the experience of hosting dipshits in his confines. He was getting the low down from his more experienced, less refined brother.

:If they act up, Zeta, a nice bit of turbulence helps. If they understand that they are inside a hostile vessel early on it prevents frag ups later on down the line: Xantium was saying.:You can also tell them that you'll close your bulkheads together to mash them if they act up after that. It worked many a time for me: A fat chuckle drifted over their contact line.

:How will they be held? Do we have to reconfigure for it, Xan?: he asked in his cultured baritone. He was a very intelligent being with an affinity for learning. He was currently enrolled in the University taking advanced courses in physics and history because his interests were as vast as his age. He was among the oldest while Xantium, a wilder more impetuous spark was younger. That he was a vessel affiliated with the Wreckers was no surprise to anyone in the family whatsoever.

:I will send you a good config, Zeta. Do it before they call you down to load up. Then they can put the fraggers inside in a way less disturbing to your body: Xantium said sending the plans. :Kappy?:

:What?: Kappa asked her beau and all around fun buddy.

:Do you need the schematics too?:

:I can have them in my databases if I don't need them here, Xan: she replied in her lyrical voice. She got them. They hung above the mix chatting together, waiting for the word to go as slowly but surely the prisoners from Silo's group were flown to her big holds and brig.

-0-On the command deck of Phobos

The humans watched as the senior Autobots began to get ready to dismantle the last Decepticon group thus far identified in the migration. The mech with the fox stood in the doorway chatting almost in whispers with an equally enthralled young Home Guard security guard. The senior Autobots were looking over intel as they strategized. The box of parts was once more sitting near the forward view screen which had switched to the mind boggling show outside.

As they sat watching, their attention so riveted that they didn't even talk to each other, the ships of Silo's group began to move off, five vessels following one after the other the gleaming white beauty of Kappa Supreme.

:That's Kappa. You can tell from her glyphs: Lennox said. :The middle one is her name. The others are her rank and clan markings. They also include her city-state designation for which she was guardian during the day on Cybertron. She protected Tyger Pax:

:The other two … who are they?: the Speaker of the House of Representatives asked.

:That first one is Xantium. He's pure warrior through and through. In fact, he's the only one that was never a city-state guardian. He was built and made sentient for the Wreckers alone. He's a wild ass, that one. He's sweet on Kappa but then who isn't?: Lennox replied as the others nodded.

The Speaker and Senate Majority leader looked at the soldiers who were watching, nodding in agreement with Lennox. Even Morshower and Fulton were. :That ship … they have a relationship?: the Speaker asked incredulously.

All of the soldiers turned to look at him. Morshower shook his helm. "That femme is stand up. She's good, smart and beautiful. Who wouldn't all things being equal?: he asked as everyone around him nodded.

"Fuck yeah: Epps said. :Kappa rules. Ask Swoop:

All of the soldiers turned back to the screen with big grins on their faces. The Speaker made a note to talk to Swoop when they got back.

Whoever he was.

TBC November 13, 2013

NOTE: !DAMN MY CURSOR JUMPING AROUND! If you find a tiny piece of a word here and there that is why. I hate it when that happens and have screened for it but SHEESH! My computer hates me. :D:D:D