The Chronicles of Orion: Part Two
=0=Sparkling Day School, a few days before
He was sitting on a table nearby with Mr. Roto when Atar walked in with their new sparkling. He nearly unswiveled his helm turning and looking in the direction of his Atar's energy. It was sad energy and it immediately inflicted itself upon Orion who up until that moment was deliriously happy. He had his teacher and full-time aide, Mr. Roto fixing to start his exercise program. Moving with assistance was the hightlight of the day. Next to play. Eating. Hanging with Mimi and the others in heavily supervised play. Digging in the sandbox and finding things the teachers hid.
Like that.
Ironhide, holding an observant smiling Praxus walked to a couch and sat with Herling. The director of all education planetwide had caught him standing in front of the door to the sparkling school and had invited the big emotional front-liner to come inside to hand over his son. It was very hard on Ironhide and so they sat down to talk about what they should and could do about Ironhide's misery.
"I didn't want him in care yet because he needs to come with me," Ironhide was saying. "Orion always had day care even on Earth but we would always do the rounds. When there was trouble there he and I would do security shifts together. He was a very observant sparkling and learned quickly."
"I can see that in him," Herling said gently. "Praxus will need your attention a lot I believe. You will need to come and observe him and help him get through his day."
"I could do that," Ironhide said. He looked at Praxus who looked up at his Atar with a sweet expression. He felt his tanks turn over and venting a sigh, he looked at Herling. "I find this very, very hard."
"We know, Ironhide. That is why we have an open door and ask you to come when you can," Herling said sympathetically.
Ironhide looked at his sparkling and then he kissed Praxus gently. With effort, he handed the infant over and sat a moment staring at him. Then he looked up when a tweet sounded from the other side of the room. Spotting Orion, he rose and walked over picking the infant up and hugging him. They stood together and then Ironhide held the sparkling up in his servos. "Are you being good and working hard at your studies?" he asked the smiling little mini-me.
"Atar," Orion said with great joy. "Atar!" He reached out and patted Ironhide's nose.
Ironhide hugged him tightly, swaying with his son for a moment. Then he held him up again. "You be good. You work hard. Your little brother is here and I want you to be a good example. Show him how a good sparkling behaves." Ironhide kissed Orion and set him on the table. Pausing for a moment, he turned and walked nonstop for the door. When the door closed behind him Orion blinked. He looked at the table and then the door. Then he burst into tears.
=0=Later that night
Ratchet stood over the cribs that held two of his five younglings. Praxus, newly admitted and recharging next to Orion was silent and tiny. Lying in the room with older sparklings, it pointed out again what a tiny baby Praxus was. Orion on the other hand was robust and his usual self, knees tucked under and fanny in the air. He held two dollies in his servos and his little face was comically sweet in repose.
Ratchet stroked his cheek gently. The infant didn't awaken. Ratchet out of habit scanned them and found them both to be sound. It was hard not to go home in the evening and spend time with the sparklings and Sunspot. Having infants after a long life without even the comfort of Ironhide half the time was a thrilling and horizon expanding experience. Now it was like he was on bivouac alone again and he felt pain.
Glancing down the rows of infants he saw Kaon and walked to his little crib. The little winger was recharging silently, his tiny wings tucked against his body. He was so colorful and so pretty that Ratchet smiled. "Sweet baby Kaon," he whispered stroking the infant's little arm gently. Ratchet took the blanket half covering Kaon and tucked it around him. "Your Ada loves you. He's so proud of you, Kaon. He monitors you all the time. You know that don't you? Sunstreaker loves you." Ratchet smiled. "Everyone loves you, baby."
Ratchet stood quietly absorbing the peace that filled the room. Sitting nearby, a couple of aides watched him. They smiled and he smiled at them. Walking over and pausing, Ratchet looked back at his children. "Hard duty I would imagine."
"Excrutiating," a small mini-con femme said with a big smile.
Ratchet chuckled and nodded. "Thank you for taking care of my sparklings."
"Thank you for letting us," she replied and with a nod Ratchet left the room.
Walking across the corridor to a room on the other side, Ratchet paused in the doorway. Laying on air mattresses and covered with colorful blankets all of the younglings from the Youngling Day School were in recharge. He entered and scanned them for Sunspot. He was lying between Spirit and Turbo, Prime and Prowl's little one holding his bear from Christmas Surprise on Diego Garcia the year before. He smiled and knelt, gently moving blankets to cover peds. All around him their future lay recharging. All around him were the treasures of Autobot City. He sighed softly. What was it the army soldiers had on one of their service patches? "This we will defend."
He nodded. He would. With his life.
Rising and turning, Ratchet walked out of the room and then the school heading back to his job. Ironhide would not come for another full orn.
He couldn't.
=0=Testing
Roto sat in a conference room with Orion, all the things he needed to test the little sparkling on a table behind him. Distractions were to be at a minimum. Orion, enjoying Mr. To-To! as usual sat waiting, glancing at just about everything twice as he did. By the time Roto was ready he was poking at his belly and a place in the armor where the joins met. Roto snorting at the sight took Orion's servo. "Leave your belly alone, you little pirate. I want to do some things with you."
Orion smiled. Roto smiled.
"Here, Orion. I want you to hold this ball," Roto said handing over a ball with big perferations on its surface.
The sparkling took it and his digits sank into holes. Looking at it with a slight frown, he pulled his fingers free. Holding it, frowning at it, he looked at Roto. "To-To?"
"Orion," Roto said smiling. "Here." Roto took the ball and held it in one servo. Then he put it into the other. Back and forth he went as Orion watched it intently. Then Roto handed Orion the ball and nodded. "Now you try, baby. Try and pass it back and forth so I can check out some motor movements."
Orion listened and looked at Roto, then the ball, then his belly, the ball, Roto, the ceiling, the table, his toes, the ball...
=0=Three joors later...
"How did Orion do in the testing?" Nova asked as he sat down beside Roto at a table where he was still scoring Orion's testing. The handsome bot looked up and smiled. "That sparkling will drive a strong mech to the brink."
Nova chuckled. "That is why Herling and I have him on our wish list."
Roto chuckled. "Take a number and wait in line," he said. "I find that he is very, very smart. His visual acuity is over the top. He can tell colors and shapes very well. His pre-reading potential is stellar. He's above average in strength and his motor skills when he cooperates are very good. Could be better but we will work on that. Language wise, I would say he is just a bit ahead of the curve. He can speak about fifteen words, almost all of them names or name attempts. That is exceptional for his age. So is his ability to move around when properly motivated."
"Han?" Nova asked with a smile.
Roto grinned and nodded. "They appear to be enemies."
"Noted. What about behavior?"
"He's impulsive and exhibits the symptoms of being at least for a while a much loved infant to two smart and older genitors. He loves his family and friends and feels like he has to defend them sometimes. He's easy to manage otherwise but he needs some serious behavioral/anger management training. He flairs up and is so sorry afterwards its hard to punish him."
"I know. Herling has fits when he has to. It's his little face and his good spark I think," Nova said with a grin.
Roto nodded. "I don't know how Ratchet and Ironhide do it. The new sparkling seems quieter and more calm than Orion. Orion is very energetic and exuberant. He has a lot of confidence and loves to love others. He shares his love easily and is happy. I just love this sparkling," Roto concluded.
"You and me both," Nova said nodding. "You will be making a plan for him now?"
Roto nodded.
"Good," Nova said. "Include Han in part of it. I want both of them to behave themselves. They both need to get along or at least behave. The chairs of doom are getting a workout."
Roto snorted and smiled. "They were in their cribs hitting each other with their dollies when they ended up there yesterday."
Nova smiled. "We may need to inscribe their names on the back of the chairs at this rate. Ironhide would probably stroke out though. That isn't the sort of honors he hopes for his sparkling."
"I know," Roto said sitting back with a smile. "We can start on them both when Herling approves of my findings and plans."
"Good," Nova said rising. "Massage time then?"
Roto nodded and arose gathering his things. He put them in his cubby nearby and walked to the play area where Orion was entertaining three hatchlings, a winged mech and a tiny winged femme by describing the care and feeding of dollies. They sat enraptured as he spoke words mixed with all kinds of charming sparkling talk. He paused when Roto came and held up his arms.
Roto picked him up and hugged him. "Come on, you little bandit. Time for a back rub." With that, they walked to the massage room and entered, the door closing behind them.
=0=Bleu
He was a tiny blue ex-'Con mechling. His Ada and Atar were working in the foundries and he was in the school for the duration. Sweet natured and gentle, he sat with Mimi in the sandbox shoveling sand into her tiny pail, the one Sunstreaker had made for her with her name glyph painted on by his own servo.
They chatted, pausing to point to things as they played and Neo, sitting nearby with Pip in her arms recharging watched with intense joy. There was no other place in all the universe that meant as much to her as this place, now. Pip sighed and snuggled, Neo smiled and stroked his brow. All was perfect in her quiet, infant-filled world.
Orion on the other hand was cackling with glee and squirming. Mr. Roto had found his sweet spot and his tickle programming was kicking his aft. Mr. Roto only grinned and continued.
=0=TBC
2011 (11)