#altihex

Dear Dragonborn Dabbler,

Yes! The Elder Scrolls LXXXIII: Skyrim - Generation 2 will arrive at Altihex Spaceport on Cybertron in about 21,000 years. Most gamers of this era are "retro" and consider playing ancient video games similar to how you feel about studying ancient history. In this case, Cybertronian students learn about extraterrestrial technological beings, including the primitive ones known as "game consoles" or "PCs". They have to write essays about bugs and flaws in the software, many of which still exist in their current form in the distant future.

The central focus of the game revolves around the great dragon Thunderwing, who needs to prepare an Earth-like world for his master Unicron the World-Eater. The planet is infested with bizarre tiny lifeforms. A few of these humans are useful for comic relief, but they don't live long, and becoming attached is not recommended.

Iacon: Southern Capital, realm of the Prime, most noted for the Iacon Archives (situated at magnetic north - Cybertronians are complicated)

Kaon: Northern Capital, realm of the Lord High Protector, mostly subterranean, lower levels flooded by oil (situated at magnetic south - see Iacon)

Kalis: Equatorial, traditional home of the High Council, widely sprawling and split into east and west by a large crevice in the planet's surface

Helex: Business centre, strong sense of community, poor pedestrian access but renowned for its market

Vos: Almost entirely inhabited by aerial bots, independent from the high council, distinguished by tall spires and narrow walkways between towers Simfur: Industry centre, situated on and around a small plateau, inhabitants tightly packed, poor alt-mode access in all but the industrial sectors

Tarn: Military centre, the largest state/polity, inhabitants speak the widest range of dialects, the high end Towers district is found in the east

Altihex: Old fashioned, on the coast of the Rust Sea, home to many aquatic bots

Praxis: Smallest city-state, landlocked by other states, very formal society, strictly functionist, large numbers of civilian enforcers who work in states all over Cybertron

Polyhex: Architecture predominantly skyscrapers, a loud city-state with a mostly lower caste population, has a large number of orphaned or abandoned younglings living on the streets and in alleyways

Riella’s native dialect, Altihexi, relies more heavily on nonverbal vocalization--chirping, chattering, clicking, and humming--than a more “standard” Cybertronian dialect might. It developed in the energon refineries, meant as a ‘shorthand’ for situations where lots of details needed to be conveyed immediately; since Altihex was relatively small and a little bit isolated (culturally if not geographically), it spread quickly and evolved from a job-only functional shorthand to a major part of the local dialect. 

Adults are usually perfectly understandable to Cybertronians from different cities (with the exceptions of a few scientists who were notorious for their inability to drop the shorthand outside of the lab). Extensive wordless vocalization, particularly humming or purring, is reserved for close friends or family, who typically know each other well enough to pick up on those nuances with or without long-term exposure to the language quirk. Younglings, however, are a different matter, especially those young enough to still be learning how to speak. They tend to pick up the vocalization first, and then words, so it’s not uncommon to have an Altihexi child--old enough to be talking pretty well--whose chattering is reasonably coherent to their parents, and utterly incomprehensible to an Iaconian-sparked visitor. They usually lose this tendency fairly quickly (around 8-10-year-old equivalent). 

Riella lost most of her vocalization tendencies immediately after joining the army, because her mostly Iaconian or Polyhexian squadmates didn’t understand it and there was no reason to try to keep it up. She still understands the dialect well enough to communicate in it, and there’s a mostly-unconscious emotional response to hearing someone chirp/purr/otherwise vocalize at her even if they’re not speaking her dialect, but she rarely does so herself.

Dear Neurological Noter,

In asking about neurodivergent Primes, you raise a question very dear to my spark. My sibling in one distant universe, Optimus Prime, displays certain differences from the "typical" Cybertronian neural network.

I confess, I never understood half of what Alpha Trion was talking about when he tried explaining the neurology behind it, so forgive me for discussing only what I could observe, rather than anything more... hard wired.

Optimus could be hard to get along with. As you may have observed from your universe, he had a tendency to be blunt, and disinterested in what others were doing if it didn't concern him. He had a laser-sharp focus. This was so well known that it became a common belief that "Primes do not party"—despite his predecessor being a well-known patron of the Altihex Casino and other such establishments!

Sometimes this could infuriate me. Imagine discovering that my own brother, even unknowing of his own nature, couldn't truly comprehend the plight of the downtrodden in the Cybertronian caste system until he thought about how it affected him.

He rarely talked about his own feelings, preferring instead to focus on his other major interest: knowledge. He and Alpha Trion bonded closely over their shared love of the written word.

I apologise for my harshness, because although I sometimes had my problems with him... Optimus was kind in a way few bots are.

He rarely raised his voice in temper, which was a flaw all too many of us Primes possessed. Instead he tried to calm us; even Megatronus would listen when Optimus placed a hand on his shoulder. When he did speak, we knew it was because he had chosen his words carefully.

He was brilliant, for very little escaped his sight. He was the first to notice the tensions that would eventually tear the Primes apart, and it was he who found the way forward when we had all fallen. I know the betrayal of the Liege Maximo must have hurt him deeply, but he kept his silence as he always did, and acted as a beacon to us.

I sometimes wonder how much of his true nature he suspected, even after he had forgotten. How much he kept to himself because... well, it didn't matter compared to what drove him onwards. He was never one to give up a cause halfway, to abandon someone who he cared for. That devotion was one of his most noble traits.

“I remember the tunnel network. Big enough for almost any size Cybertronian--or at least, the main ones around the refinery and the labs were, though I think if you went deeper, they were smaller and maybe less well-lit. The ones I spent my time in didn’t even feel underground. There were a lot of exits to the surface, sometimes even transparent ceilings or open walkways if you were close to the above-ground section of the city. There wasn’t a whole lot up there except some launch platforms, observatories, what little of the refinery had to be outdoors, that kind of thing.

An energon mine, yesterday, in the outer district of Altihex had its 15th explosion since the beginning of the vorn killing 5.

Five miner were killed the huge explosion that reportedly shook building over 8 ticks away.

The mine has been the most explosive mine in the region with an average of 25 explosions a vorn.

“We have a protocol in place for this very event.” Said the Altihex rescue bots leader, Heatwave.

Citizens of the city have sent in numerous complaints about the mine, all saying the same thing: close the mine for good.

“The mine is a necessary evil for the city, unfortunately.” Said the City council’s spokesperson. “The mine is one of the richest sources of energon on the planet. Closing it would be a stupid thing to do.”

An outbreak of riots filled the streets of Altihex yesterday after Enforcers brought a low caste worker into custody.

The low caste individual was brought into custody mid-orn yesterday for unknown charges, and remains in custody today.

Altihexan enforcer spokesmech, Wheeler said, “Altihex enforcers have no plans to release the individual.”

The riots began mere joors after the mech was brought into enforcer custody, and are going strong today as well.

The rioters mostly consisted of low caste workers with a few low caste sympathizers mixed into the lot.

“The enforcers had no reason to bring that mech in!” said an outraged rioter.

Wheeler said, “Because of the nature of the charges we are withholding the crimes the mech was brought in for from the public.”

Altihex enforcers are encouraging individuals to stay inside, and avoid any areas affected by the riots.

There have been a confirmed 167 arrests so far in relation to the riots.