The Diego Diaries: Here, There and Back Again (608)
-0-Gliese 581 g
Prime inspected the base which was coming together under the servos of mechs and femmes who had done this a thousand million times before. Bugging in and out was second nature to a people deprived of a home. The firepower scheme designed by Prowl and Paragon was formidable. It would be able to rise to any threat along with the support of any number of Seekers that could fit through a space bridge.
There were several bridges here at present. Phobos bore a large bridge along with the Supremes who held troop and supply sized models. They had been refitted with ship board technology, something that had been created by Autobots in the past.
It was well in servo. Prime turned to his officers who had gone with him to discuss the situation. Wheeljack and Perceptor were going to prepare the final report which would tell them about the planet to the smallest detail. All of them would begin the outline to help them devise a way to move the planet from this less secure spot deeper into the zone that they held.
It wasn't as impossible as it sounded. Cybertron was fully flight capable. Unicron had battled in the beginning for domination and destruction of all that exited, a conflict opposed by Primus that had lasted for eons of time. It had been epic on a scale that was hard to quantify. Primus was able to be in all universes at the same time by His very nature. He could flee from any direction to another at will. Unicron on the other hand existed in only one at a time and was easier to elude. But in the end, it was a zero sum game between them, chaos and order.
When the battle frenzy was greatest, Primus pulled the lever on His trap, the only solution to their dilemma that could be realized. Exiting out of a universe with Unicron in pursuit, He managed to make both of them materialize inside the center of two enormous aggregate planets. Both who were trapped concluded the physical portion of their conflict. What transpired next was internal and psychological.
Primus knowing He would be the target of Unicron's predations forever gave Himself up for the peace of the universe. He remained inside the planet terraforming it to His own specifications before creating the Thirteen and falling into stasis to hide his location from His brother.
Part and parcel of the reformatting was the structuring of engines under what would become the city of Uraya. It was possible to fly Cybertron using the engines and thrusters of Primus Himself. Considering that Cybertron was untethered to the star that gave it support was impetus along with this example to remember the process needed.
The sun overhead was bright as ever, the sky semi blue and devoid of clouds. The breeze was gentle, a constant that made it possible for them to work here without special steps given the amount of fiery heat that lay nearby over the curve of the planet on the sunlight side of Gliese 581 g.
When Prime was clear that things were in servo, he turned and with Ironhide in tow walked to a shuttle nearby to return to Autobot City. They were gone in minutes. Blackjack watched them go, then turned back to the job at servo. He would be commanding the base now.
-0-Diego
Ratchet walked to the hangar with an easy stride. The party the night before was fun, entertaining and optic opening to the younglings who were spending time among the allies for the first time. The orn was warm and the sea spectacular. He would have a joor or two before leaving for Autobot City at last.
Pausing by the hangar door to chat with a few of the conferees, Ratchet finally entered to walk to the speaker's stand. Everyone began to gather in the room, over 400 individuals who were here to listen this time to humans tell their tales, stories of abuse, bullying and upper echelon indifference to their pleas and responsibilities. It would be optic opening even for him.
-0-Autobot City, Mars
Venture sat in the office working on his usual tonnage of projects while nearby in a box filled with blankets Prowler lay. They were rotating the infants among the adults. All of them had their share of infant time until Ratchet came back to take a bunch of the burden up himself.
Ironhide would be rotating in and out of the colony heading for Gliese 581 g and back again over the next few orns. The twins and Bluestreak were there already doing duty along with a number of other warriors because there were bogies nearby. They weren't identified yet but they were being watched.
Prowler slept in his box bed, his little red chevron dulled by recharge. Venture had snatched the little baby up when the dole was being made of all the infants. Having him around was like having Prowl back as a baby. It was one way to revisit the past, to try and be more for this tiny chevroned infant than he was with his own son. Glancing at the tiny baby, he grinned. "You are way too cute for your own good, Prowler. We do love you," he said as he turned back to his work once more.
-0-Ironhide
He walked to the school and took an elevator upward. When he exited Sunspot and his dog were waiting for him on a bench outside his classroom door. Ironhide grinned, then sat down on the bench beside him. "Hi, spud."
"Hi, Atar." He looked at Ironhide with anxious optics. "Do we go now?"
"Only if you want to. You don't have to. Ada and I won't be unhappy if you don't," Ironhide said gently.
"But it will help those soldiers," Sunspot said. "Right?"
"Anytime someone can meet you, its always better," Ironhide said hugging his son. Terradive stood in the doorway of his classroom, splitting his attention between his class and the infant sitting on the bench waiting for his father. Spot sat beside Sunspot, his helm resting on the little Seeker's lap. Sunspot rubbed Spot's helm as he sat talking to his atar. Then Ironhide arose picking Sunspot up. With a nod to Terradive, Ironhide, Spot and Sunspot walked to the elevator and left the school for Diego Garcia and the unknown scary world of organic people who lived there.
-0-Diego
Soldier after marine after air force man and woman laid down the truth, telling of their situations in their pursuit of a career in a service that had no time for their hurts. One after another, they told their stories with emotion, anger, sorrow and pain to the gathered policy makers who had it in their power to end all of it if they wished to. They came forward, some active duty, others not and told what they had suffered.
It was grisly.
Ratchet sat listening, part of his processor connecting with Ironhide as they walked to the bridge at the airport to come to Diego. It would be fifty-fifty he thought whether Sunspot could speak to the humans. A long talk with Sunny's counselors, the Seekers that worked with him, Armor at the Temple and Terradive had led to this orn. At any moment, Sunspot could tell them he had to go and he would be whisked away.
As Ratchet sat listening to the last two speakers, he felt their energy close by.
-0-Ironhide
He had stepped through the space bridge with an infant and a dog. They had come out the other end and after a cheerful moment of chat with the techs, headed onward to the Embassy. It had been a very long time since he had been here, the tiny Seeker but he remembered it even though things were completely changed after the attack. Glancing around, peering down at Spot who stayed with them, they exited the Embassy and began to walk to the hangar. Ironhide commed Ratchet as he did.
-0-Ratchet
As the last human speaker walked to their seat nearby, Ratchet glanced at Morshower. He nodded, his own face drawn and grim from two hours of gut wrenching revelation thus far. Rising, Ratchet walked to the front of the crowd again. "Thank you for the courage you exhibited coming here to tell your story. It can't continue. It has to be eradicated from your ranks. The injured and abused individuals have to be made whole. That is how it is supposed to be. Until all are one is not just an expression for us. Its a way of life."
He paused, then peered out of the back doors. Turning to the crowd, he nodded. "Give me a moment please." He turned to walk out to where Ironhide stood holding a pensive Sunspot. An anxious Spot greeted Ratchet. "How are you, son? Are you going to do this? You don't have to. Atar said it would be fine with him and it is for me if you can't."
Sunspot looked at him. "What about the soldiers?" He blinked, then glanced at the hangar door. "They need me?"
"Not if you can't do this, son. I would hate to have you be too upset if you can't do this and you try just for us," Ratchet said petting his leg.
"I can try," Sunspot said helpfully.
Ironhide and Ratchet took a moment, then nodded. "Do you want Atar to hold you?" Ratchet asked.
"I think I can walk there. I have Spot," he said pointing to the dog who looked up at him, anxious over the tension that informed everyone.
"You are my hero, son," Ratchet said as Ironhide nodded. "I am so proud of you."
Sunspot leaned out and gripped Ratchet around the neck. They stepped together hugging each other, then Ratchet stepped back. "What will you tell me if you want to go? Do you have a word or do you want to just turn and go?"
"I can go," Sunspot said. "You will both come with me?" he asked, a flash of insecurity surging through him.
"We will. We will be there the whole time," Ironhide said.
He nodded. "Okay. What do I say?"
"Whatever you need to, Sunspot. You were a soldier. They need to hear your voice. There are child soldiers on the Earth right now. You will show them something about soldiering that they need to hear, son," Ratchet said.
"Okay." He sat on Ironhide's arms as Ratchet turned to walk to the hangar. When he disappeared inside, Sunspot leaned against Ironhide. "You will be there, Atar?" he asked.
"I will never leave you, Sunspot. You are mine and I am yours. Forever," Ironhide said around the surge of his emotions.
Sunspot nodded. "Okay."
Inside, Ratchet paused before the silent group. "I have included a special speaker, one who all of you need to hear and see. He is a former Decepticon who was pressed into war against his will. He was vulnerable for exploitation because he was alone. He is a child warrior that was rescued by us. Ironhide and I have adopted him for our own. He is a small Seeker infant who lost his parents when he was very small. From that moment, he was lost somehow to the clans who would have claimed him if they had known.
"He was brutalized by war yet he is still a happy baby. He has a service dog who takes care of him named Spot. He is sweet, gentle and very terrified of humans. He was among the last group swept up by us here on Earth after the conflict in Egypt. That is how we found him. So if you could be very quiet, he might be able to do this. If he doesn't we will take him out of here. Thank you," Ratchet said as he turned to the door. Nodding, he stepped back to wait.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a tiny figure walked into sight followed by a large white dog with a black circle around one of his optics. The infant walked toward Ratchet, then stopped. Sunspot looked at the crowd sitting silently in rows as terror surged through him a moment. Spot moved to him stepping between the humans and his boy. For a moment, Sunspot clung to him, then he relaxed slightly. Looking up at Ratchet, he looked at the humans.
:Are you alright, sparkling?: Ratchet asked as Ironhide hovered in the background behind Sunspot.
Sunspot didn't speak a moment, then he nodded. Moving closer, he paused. Looking at the humans even as he felt tingling nervous energy sparkling over his neural net, he considered his mission and what he thought he would say. As Spot sat down leaning against Sunspot, the infant gathered himself. "I am Sunspot," he said in a quavering voice.
-0-TBC February 1, 2014 edited 2-5-14