The Diego Diaries: Visitation Rites 5 (556) edited
-0-At an elegant dinner
The wait staff provided the first entree to the dinner, a beautiful selection of 'pork' and 'chicken' dishes with 'rice' and 'stir fry vegetables' to accompany them. They were artistically placed, show pieces of construction and delicacy. They also tasted incredibly good.
"This is delicious," Slacker said. "I've grown rather used to class A and B energon but using it like this is amazing. We use liquid energon in my organization. I don't think it will be the same after this."
Ratchet smirked in spite of himself. "Come in from the cold, abide by the rules, make and keep your oath and be an asset. Then you can eat like this all the time."
"You lost me after 'abide by the rules'," Slacker said with a grin. "I have been a free booter for a while now."
"And how is that working out for you?" Blackjack asked.
"Not too badly," Slacker said meeting his gaze levelly. "I can't really complain."
"What about Metroplex and the others? Do you suppose they would agree? I'm talking about complaints and all," Ratchet replied as he sipped his tea.
"I wouldn't know," Slacker said. He sat back regarding the wily figure of the CMO of the Autobot Army, someone known to have been the diplomat and personal envoy of the Prime from the beginning. "What have you heard?"
Ratchet snorted, then chuckled. "I was hoping you could tell me but if you're willing to wait, I can go and ask them."
"Don't go all out on account of little old me," Slacker said warming to the moment. "I don't want to be a bother."
"You are. You and your kind who prey on our people who are coming on fumes to get here. We have found evidence of your kind attacking the refugees and they tell about pirates as well," Ironhide said coldly.
Slacker looked at Ironhide a moment, then shrugged. "I can't speak for all of us. I can speak for me. I don't attack our people. If some do, they aren't us."
"But you do attack the metro formers for their tech," Wheeljack asked with his usual unadorned directness.
"I can't say that I have. I've found them dead already," Slacker said. "I won't say that I caused it either."
"Then allow others to infer for you," Prowl said staring at Slacker like he was a germ under a microscope.
"You can do that but I labored under the impression that you were fact based," Slacker countered.
Prowl considered that, a check move against his chess piece. The slagger was smarter than he looked. "You mention that you don't believe in the Matrix and its power nor the Pantheon. Everyone who comes here who was anathema to our Cause must swear on it. That would rule you out, your recalcitrance."
Slacker considered that. "I would say … if you wanted to know what I felt truly and honestly … I would say I lost my religion in the war. What about you, Prowl?"
"I would say that you were more common than you think," Chevron offered as Lauren nodded. "Many have but they were restored to wholeness by the AllSpark and the Festival Blessing. You are not unusual at all."
Slacker looked at the priests with a slight grin. "Then what you're saying is, there is hope for me some orn?"
"There is always hope," Lauren said. "This place is the very definition of hope. The restoration of the AllSpark and the return of our people are signs. You can be bitter forever. You can hate forever. But when you do, you allow others to hold power over you. You give up control of yourself to others. The past is beyond our power to change. We do have the present and that determines our future. If you bring bitterness and hatred, grievance and misery to the present, do not express surprise if it fills your future."
"Wise words," Paragon said nodding.
"Perhaps. But some of us have real grievances born of our inability to have any say in what happened. I had a thriving business in Iacon and a family. My siblings and genitors … I supported them. They're all dead now. I don't live on my home world. I never had a say in anything. A handful of mechs controlled all of us and look what happened? Where was Primus when all this happened?"
"Beneath your feet," Lauren said quietly.
It was silent a moment, then Slacker nodded. "Perhaps. But He is not alone. I know the tales, the stories. Where were the others? If They really loved us They would have helped us and prevented our miserable existence as it stands. I find myself filled with … ambivalence is too kind a word for them. I find myself not really needing them now."
"I was in the Temple when the Prime came to Simfur to save the AllSpark. I have spent my entire life serving it. It was my calling, my purpose. The warmth and love of it and of Primus whose very body was my support and existence were the baseline of my life. I wept when it went with Prime but there was no other way. The AllSpark had to be saved. Then the enemy came and began to kill us. Some of us managed to get away," Lauren said.
"We had to drag you out of there," Ironhide said remembering a very terrible orn among many.
Lauren nodded. "You did. We stood on a pile of rubble nearby and watched artillery shells take down the Temple of Primus. I had no reason to live but I have. It was the worst orn of my life, that orn. There is a reason for everything in this world. I serve Primus because of love for my people and because I love Him. I am his servant. I would serve you too. We all have our grief. We all have our sorrows. But the path to happiness and wellness is always open. At no point were you ever truly alone. We are all sparks from the Matrix. We are all begun from the spark of Primus."
"Someone needs to tell Megatron. That slagger came from the Pit and nowhere else," Slacker said.
"You won't get an argument from us," Alor said.
"No, I suppose I won't," Slacker said. He sat back regarding everyone. "Tell me about the game tomorrow."
"We have so much leisure time that we created adult football here," Jazz said with his usual brio. "The game is the championship. We had the season already. Kaon versus Praxus."
Paragon grinned slightly. "Praxus... they made it to a final championship game?"
Prowl felt himself ruffle. "Yes." His prim offense was enormous.
"Prowl stacked the team. They have pros and Blurr," Ratchet said. "He cheated."
Severe optics shot metaphorical missiles into Ratchet's face as Prowl glanced at him. "The game is going to be a slaughter. Get used to it."
"Cheater," Ratchet said as he leaned back. Another course was being placed before them. A waiter had removed the previous with a slight of hand that was almost magical. The dish before them was a mixture of different kinds of sushi.
"This is interesting," Slacker said studying his plate.
"Its also really good," Springer said with a grin. He was waiting for them to give a sign of their 'secret knowledge' about the addled home life of Optimus Prime and himself.
The three looked at him. "If you say so. I would like to say … Megatron would kill bonds. No one I knew ever confessed to one. I see that this is not forbidden among the Autobots," Slacker began with a grin.
"It never was because our troops aren't tools. They're individuals with free will," Optimus offered.
"There is that 'free will' thing again," Slacker said with a grin. "I can imagine that free will is as good an excuse as any."
"I can not imagine what you mean," Prowl said with a faint outline of a grin on his face.
Slacker shrugged. "Families are important. I know that. All of us do. How many of us aren't orphans and the like?" He glanced at Ironhide. "You are rare to have your genitors."
Ironhide nodded. "There are a lot of genitors here."
"And a lot of infants. I haven't seen so many since before the Fall," Paragon offered. "It's rather wonderful to see."
"We will defend them against everyone. We will fight to the death, to the last of us against any aggressor," Starscream said with a tone that didn't leave any doubt of either his intentions or meaning.
"That is clear," Cyclonus said. "Your forces are impressive. I noticed Astrotrain."
"He was attacked when Megatron levied the death sentence for Seekers. He barely made it to us. It was touch and go for a while if he would survive," Ratchet replied. "Slagger is tough as nails. He's sweet on an Aerialbot. Sky Dive?"
Neo nodded. "He is."
"I'm surprised, Neo, that you are here," Paragon said. "Last time I saw you the Council Chambers were falling down on your helms."
"We survived," Neo replied.
"I was attempting to destroy you," Starscream said to someone who had become a good friend. "It was some epic attempt to fly Cybertron wasn't it?"
"That was separate. This was just a slash and burn operation. The other event was an attempt to fly Cybertron by using the engines under Uraya," Ratchet replied with a grin.
"Ah yes. TWO epic moments in Cybertronian history," Starscream said with HIS usual brio. "I am sure they will live on forever."
"How could they not?" Optimus asked as chuckles went around the room.
"You don't seem perturbed that Starscream tried to kill you," Paragon asked Neo who was grinning.
She looked at him. "I cannot live in the past. If I do I won't be a resource for our people now. They forgive me so I am learning to forgive myself. I will do whatever it takes for our people both here and out there. I am honor bound to do so and I will, including dying if that is what the moment demands. I am here for our people."
Paragon nodded. "Admirable sentiments. How do the people accept you?"
"With ease," Arcee said.
Neo glanced at her with something akin to deep gratitude.
"So it would seem," Paragon said with a nod.
"What about it? How long do you figure that you can hold on out there before we come out to smash you like Soundwave and his ill thought out fortresses?" Nitro asked boldly.
They looked at him, then Paragon shrugged. "We have not aggressed against you nor do we have plans to do so. I would think it would be in everyone's favor to have good relations given that Megatron and his son are out gathering forces together to put this place into the historical dust bin."
"And what can you offer to us?" Prowl asked.
"Security and access," Paragon said. "Two of us haven't cut our ties completely to the Cause. We have access to them yet. We also, the three of us offer more guns to defend this colony."
"Why would you defend this colony? I have had run ins with pirates before. You don't let booty go by without stealing it,"
Drift looked at Drift. "You were Deadlock," he said quietly.
Drift looked at him a moment. "That mech is dead. I'm Drift."
"You were as close to a pirate as I am," Slacker said. "You and Turmoil, you cut a wide swath."
"That was then. This is now," Drift said.
"This place redeems you then," Slacker said. "It remakes you into a nobler version of yourself does it?"
"It can do that if you have it in you," Lauren said. "We have a second chance to remake ourselves. The Prime is a beacon of light in the darkness of our despair. Our people are coming to him. They will come in the millions. They are coming now, traveling on hopes, dreams and the surety that the Prime will gather them in. We have no other chance to do this again. You would do well to assist that effort before its too late and we all disappear from the universe never to be seen again. I find that profoundly lonely and terrible. The big question before us all is simple. How do you three feel about that yourselves?"
It was silent as a tomb in the room.
Cyclonus looked at Lauren, a mech of great honor and serenity. He was a genuine priest of the Temple of Simfur on a world so important to himself that he tried not to think about it. It was intensely painful to do so. "I for one feel it deeply. Who here doesn't want Cybertron restored and our people back?"
"We don't know," Lauren said. "We hear a lot of comments about how important Cybertron and our people are, yet here we stand. We are divided from each other physically and politically. Our spirituality is depleted. Our connection to the divine, to Primus and The One is tenuous for too many of us. We have gulfs between us that are vast. We need to know with honesty what you feel and wish. Are our goals too far apart, our burning ambitions and driving needs too strong for us to do the right thing? We all know what the right thing is too. All of us do."
"I can give you my word that we will assist, not hinder the migrations. Those individuals have no part in this battle. They will be assisted if you require it. We will come if you call. As for the rabble that prey off them … we will assist in keeping them at bay," Paragon said. "Understand, we know that every one that makes it here makes you stronger but some things are sacred and their safety is to me."
Cyclonus nodded. "Civilians are not our purview. They can pass unmolested. If they require assistance or defense, we will give it." He looked at Prime. "It would be dishonorable to see any more harm befall them. They are innocent. But that still does not resolve the imbalance between us and the threat that you pose to us with your avowals to seek our demise."
"If we wish it, we can bring the rain," Ironhide said. "You are outclassed here and it won't get better ever. You would do well to give it up and take an oath."
"Perhaps you have doubts, Slacker," Cyclonus said glancing at the pirate, "but I do not. An oath to the Matrix is an oath to Primus. I won't break it if I give it."
"Will you?" Prowl asked.
He sat a moment, then shook his helm. "I don't know yet, if ever."
It was silent a moment. Then dessert came with a discreet clearing of dishes. Everyone stared at the delicate crystalline confections set before them. It had been eons since real Cybertronian delicacies had been theirs. They savored the moment, then Slacker looked at Prime. "If this is what you eat every orn, I could be tempted."
-0-TBC December 18, 2013