The Diego Diaries: Go (622)
-0-That next morning
Ratchet sat in his office working out his part of the presentation for the staff meeting shortly. As he did he felt the energy of others bump up against his. He looked around, then down. A mob of segways filled a small space around his desk. Sitting back, he grinned. :What's up, little people?:
Lennox grinned. :We came to hear what happened last night at the Club, Ratchet. Someone broke their oath?:
Ratchet considered that, his optics taking in the little faces looking up at him. Most of the scientists were there and several of the soldiers as well as Seymour Simmons and Charlotte Mearing. They had come as a group to one of the most accessible bots in the colony. Most of the soldiers had the Cybertronian reticence about getting their aft kicked by blowing confidential information.
Ratchet on the other hand was a senior officer, a close confidante to the Prime and someone who liked to gossip. Even though he liked to gossip, he could not be counted on to give anything away. It was hoped that the information they were curious to know was somewhere in the bounds of 'available'.
:Did you see The Hourly News?: Ratchet asked. The humans nodded, some of them staring at him with intensity. :Someone did. When the Decepticons come to surrender, they give their personal oath to the Prime and their other oath to the Matrix:
:What other oath, Ratchet?: Niall Graham asked.
Ratchet considered the question, then leaned on his elbow as he thought through a simple enough answer that wouldn't compromise anything or anyone. Given that the news had been broadcast here but edited out of the feed that went to Earth, these humans knew even if the others on Earth didn't. The MCA which was the formal entity for all Cybertronian broadcasts got an edited version of the news, the death being deleted from the download. "The other oath to the Matrix is from your spark … your heart. You give it from the spark which links you to the Matrix. In fact, all of us are always linked to the Matrix since the Matrix is linked to Primus. Primus is the one who created us. Full circle. Since the Matrix is pure, since it is part of the essence of Primus Himself, to break the oath is to insult your maker. The Matrix took this mech at his word and showed him the error of his ways when he went out of his way to break it:
It was silent a moment, then Sheila Conroy moved closer. :It punished him for what? Mocking it? Making jokes?:
:No. Nothing that trivial. Giving and taking an oath matters among us. That is why Megatron is such a slagger. He could no more give an oath and keep it than Optimus can break one. Optimus is a bit of an exalted character which helped make him Prime in the first place. He is a genuinely good mech. He always was a truly good mech. But he is a mech of his word. He keeps them when he gives them. It is a habit of my people to do that.
"All of the slaggers who asked to live here free were told to give both oaths. If you broke the first one, the one to Optimus, you were just that side of a fragger. If you broke the one you gave to the Matrix, it would police itself and take you at your word. Since it was a freely given oath in which the giver knew the circumstances, it could enforce the covenant without hesitation. If you broke it and knew, then you must have no objection if payment is taken on the debt. That is why there are still mechs in prison. They know that the Matrix oath is required and they also know that they probably aren't up to giving it without bitter consequences:
:What happened when he did?: Sheila asked.
:His spark overheated and he burned to death from the inside out:
Everyone looked at Ratchet, some of them uneasily. :What the hell? What kind of maker is that?: Charlotte Mearing asked.
:The best kind: Ratchet said with a tinge of offense. :Primus gave up his life to protect us. He is our north star. I don't expect you to get this because I can't go more deeply into the nuances. There is more to this than I can tell you but I am compelled by taboo and Primal decree not to go there. We love Primus. The Matrix is an extension of Him into the world and our lives. He lives in the Matrix that Prime carries and we are the better for it:
They looked at him a for a moment, then Mearing moved forward. :What you are talking about is magic:
Ratchet considered that, then shook his helm. :It might seem that way to you but not to us. This is who we are. I can't do more to explain it than that:
:What happens now then, Ratchet?: Epps asked from his segway.
:The Former Decepticon Association has stewardship of the body since it seems clear he has no family here. They will take care of the funeral and interment: Ratchet sat back. :I hear that there is growing resentment that there isn't a permanent human habitat here yet. Do you know anything?:
:That is classified: Mearing said crisply. Every human in the room stared at her. :It is: she replied firmly.
:Then I can assume that there will be trouble again: Ratchet said venting a sigh. :Where are you going to go play? Mama has to go to a staff meeting in a few minutes: He grinned at them.
:I want to go to the new planet: Sheila and Antonio said nearly together.
:What new planet?: Mearing asked glancing at the two sharply.
:That's classified: Antonio said with a grin.
Ratchet chuckled, then nodded. "Touche:
Mearing stared at them a moment, then a wry grin occupied her face for a second. She turned to look up at Ratchet. :The usual suspects are very unhappy that they can't have a permanent base here. I would expect that they will be pressing the issue shortly. It is after all nearing election time for some of them:
Ratchet grinned, then nodded. :That didn't hurt did it. Much:
She grinned. :Not much:
Ratchet nodded. :We shall prepare for that obstacle when it comes:
:And the new planet?: Mearing asked.
:It is being prepared for public information. Right now, it is just a planet with interesting possibilities within our sphere of influence. We will release information as soon as we have it gathered and prepared. Part of that will be discussed at the staff meeting in a moment. We want to make it clear and comprehensible for you. After all, our physics are different from yours. We have to break it down so that it can be understood. No offense:
Mearing smirked slightly. :None taken. Much:
Ratchet grinned. They bantered a bit, then all the humans turned to take off, Mearing and Simmons together on one segway. Ratchet considered the new front opening up, one that involved forcing the bots to allow humans in a major settlement here full-time. He put it on his datapad, then rose. Walking to the door, he took the elevator down to the street where he would amble amiably through the busy streets to the Fortress.
-0-Ironhide at the Armory
He took the necessary information from Holi, then turned to walk to his office. Sitting in a blanket lined box putting this and that toy in his mouth so he could gum it, Prowler played sweetly, his little mech wings seeking information he wasn't old enough to receive. Ironhide sat down on his desk to download the data into his report datapad. Prowler paused to grin madly, his little optics twinkling.
Ironhide grinned. "I can imagine what Venture and Miler must have thought with Prowl when he was your age. You are the cutest sparkling in the general vicinity."
Prowler smiled again. "Atar!"
Ironhide paused, then sat back. He grinned. "Sh."
"ATAR!" Prowler said louder.
"Frag," the big mech said as he pulled the box closer. Kissing the infant on his forehead, Ironhide sniffed Prowler, the aroma that identified him to his old pa sweet and familiar. "Don't grow too fast. I will lose you to the schools and it'll be awful. I waited all my life to love you. School is forever."
Prowler raised his arms to grip Ironhide's face. He pressed his nose against Ironhide's, then sat back. "Atar?"
"What, son?" Ironhide asked with rising emotion. "What do you want to tell me? What do you think about in that little processor of yours? I'm listening."
Prowler patted Ironhide's face, then picked up a block to teeth upon. Ironhide kissed him, then picked up the Seeker bag lying on the desk. He gently folded down Prowler's wings, slipping him inside the soft fleece lined bag. Slipping a little black hat on his helm, its knitted softness accented with a tiny white kitten on the front, he gently tied the strings to keep it in place. He held the baby, his SON, HIS infant and felt oceans of love swell in his spark. "I love you."
Prowler grinned.
Ironhide grinned back. "Don't tell anyone. Okay?" he asked with a chuckle.
Prowler chuckled too, then he was placed inside Ironhide's carry hold. Taking his datapad, Ironhide rose and walked to the door to go to the meeting nearby. It would be a short walk.
-0-At the meeting
Everyone was there when Ratchet arrived after giving his datapad to Prowl to download in Ops Center before taking it and himself into the crowded conference room. The place was filled with mechs and femmes, all of them chatting, sipping something and eating from the enormously piled high plates of 'donuts' and other 'pasteries' that had been sent over from Rampage. He sat next to Ironhide, snarked at everyone, then sat back as Prime and Prowl entered. They also sat, then it all began as datapads went around the room.
"It has been a while since we talked. I want everyone to catch us up, then we can turn to the new as well as left over business from before. Prowl?" he said with a nod as he sat back, a datapad on the table before him.
"Right. Magnus?" Prowl asked glancing at the big format sitting with Arcee, Jetta and Elita against the back wall near the door.
"We are finishing up two of the seven new cities. Work is at all stages in the other five. This is stage one of the design. It will be expanded once it is complete to maximize the area above ground. This one is built on the Iacon model. That is, there will be interconnections above ground both for pedestrian travel as well as vehicular. At least half of the business space of the cities will be stories above ground level as per Cybertronian tastes. It will be possible to live in your apartment, go to do or get whatever you need and never touch the ground. This is a bonus of accessibility for the elderly and handicapped as well as a taste of home.
"Stages 2 through 4 will commence as the other constructions are finished. We have held two towers aside for special circumstances. One complete tower will be for the schools, both public and University. An annex school will be built on the top floors of the education tower as time and need permits. The other tower will be used for governmental affairs, a public library annex, a museum annex and a medical center. Both towers are part of City 1 on the schematics. I am assuming that contests will be held to name the seven?"
Prime nodded. "What about their suitability as habitats? We have two migrations nearly in range for rescue."
"We have two cities at nearly optimal right now. There are just the usual embellishments left to complete. Three others are two thirds of the way there with the last two … I would say at one quarter completion," Jetta said.
"We can house individuals in the first two cities and there are many homes possible still available in the present colonial infrastructure. There are also the new metroformers who are anxious to host. We have been in discussion with them about who and what will be housed there including using one of them … Metrotitan as a defense oriented mechanism that will have only a partial habitation of families. We are going to use a portion of his structure as a head quarters for emergency response units, some of whom will be recharging there while on shift even though they have homes elsewhere.
"The Unified Fire Department, the headquarters for security and the Watch units, the Home Guard HQ, that of the Wreckers as well as facilities for training, the installation of dojos and other possibilities will be placed there. It will also be the main housing location of bachelor soldiers and other service personnel who want to live there. There is a lot of interest in that potential among bachelor soldiers online in the Community Bulletin Board about consolidation.
"This will free up Fortress Maximus for an expansion of the Flight Control Center and the mainframe annexes of Teletraan III in his sub floors. He can then house an expanded meteorological department for the planet and all of our sphere of influence. We are tracking comets that come through the system as well as asteroids that might provide problems."
"They are both good with that? Metrotitan and Fort Max?" Prowl asked looking up.
Jetta nodded. "We have them on board if you agree."
Prime nodded. "I do."
"Right now, we are on-line to house over 200,000 new individuals with the two cities currently in construction with three more in a couple of decaorns," Magnus concluded. "I would also like to say that we are working on the highways leading out to Terra and from there to the Industrial Park City. Detours will be listed in the Community Bulletin Board under the link in the Public Works folder. I have alerted the newspapers and IntraComm to make that news available."
Prowl nodded. "Thank you. I am assuming that the metro lines underground are optimal?"
"You are correct," Magnus said.
"Jetta?" Prowl asked. "Do you have more to add?"
"We have cleared half of the prison consolidating the remaining prisoners in other cells. We have shut down that structure until such time as its needed. We are also planning a civilian airport southeast of the Fortress that will be used by those who have built or own their own vessels. The two airfields that exist now … the Military and the Public are both utilized by the air force and by commercial craft coming and going from Earth. What is needed is a small airfield that can serve as a tie down spot for private vessels that can be overseen by the Flight Center at Fort Max. If that proves too much, we can discuss adding a small flight center there either manned or not."
"Put it on the agenda for the planning commission, Prowl," Optimus said as Prowl complied.
"Herling?" Prowl asked.
Herling sat forward with his datapad. "We have just finished up the last round of conferences. There are many of you here that have been educated about your children during them. Attendance by genitors for their infants and younglings at these meetings topped 100%. I am very proud of the students and staff for all the good things that have happened. Our support and our teaching staff are wonderful and I congratulate them," he said as everyone nodded in agreement. "We are preparing to take in younglings and infants if the new migration presents them to us. I am very happy about the new tower in City 1. When you are ready for us to help with planning of its use, we will be ready. At the moment, Autobot City Consolidated Public School District has 15,877 students.
"We have 4,354 younglings up to sub adult with the rest sparklings. Our population of infants is still small in overall comparison of our total citizenry. That will change of course. We have nearly three and three quarters million individuals living here. Ratchet has apprised me that 1,998 sparklings are due to be separated in the next five decaorns."
"That includes you too doesn't it, Prowl?" Jetta asked with a smile.
Prowl nodded. "Tomorrow."
"If all goes right," Ratchet said. "I however expect to be highly inconvenienced tonight about 2 A.M."
"Loser," Prowl replied with a grin.
"Wimp," Ratchet replied. Then he grinned. "I will come anyway because I, Ratchet am a healer."
Barely heard over the laughter as the retort that came from Prowl. Then he paused. It was at that moment he winced which was followed by a bellow.
-0-TBC February 13, 2014 edited 2-11-14