The Diego Diaries: Chaos 19 edited

-0-In the bosom of love

"Are you ready?"

"Nope."

"Sunspot, help your old dad please."

Sunspot who was sitting on the couch with his book bag in his lap smiled brilliantly. "I will, Ada."

"Of course you will. You're that kind of awesome," Ratchet said grinning. He himself was putting the breakfast stuff away, his optics focused on Orion who was making his stand under the table. Sunspot slid down and walked over, his helm barely touching the tabletop above as he went under. "Come on, Orion. Atar has to wipe your face," Sunspot said. Orion smiled brilliantly and took Sunspot's servo. The two turned and walked to the berth room together.

Smirking at the sight, Ratchet finished and gathered harnesses, leashes and book bags. Tossing them onto the chair by the door, he walked to the berth room too. Praxus stood on the stool that they used for the infants fussing as Ironhide wiped his face and servos with a wet cloth. "Quit whining," he said with a grin. "There. All beautiful."

Praxus looked up at him uncertainly. Then he smiled. Ironhide set him down on the floor with a kiss. He turned and grabbed Orion. The struggle for dominion began on cue. "ATAR! OW!"

"I haven't even begun to wash you, Orion. Hush," Ironhide said noting the new word in his personal internal file called "MY SON IS SLAGGING AWESOME-ORION!" It was in the same general database as the other two: "MY SON IS SLAGGING AWESOME-SUNSPOT!" and "MY SON IS SLAGGING AWESOME-PRAXUS !" He had made room for another to commence shortly: "MY DAUGHTER IS SLAGGING AWESOME-? (Ask Sunspot for the name in five orns)!". He took the cloth and began.

Orion sputtered as his atar wiped his face. "OW! ADA! COME ME! OW!"

Ratchet snorted. "Maybe I should call sparkling protective services."

"Maybe I'll let ya," Ironhide said with a grin. The sounds of a rap on the door and it opening could be heard so Ratched looked over his shoulder. Blackjack and Alor entered smiling at the infants standing with Ratchet. "Good morning. Don't all of you look lovely," Alor said.

"You got here just in time. Ironhide is going to empty Orion," Ratchet said with a grin. The two picked up Praxus and Sunspot, then joined Ratchet in the doorway.

Ironhide had finished Orion's face and servos. He set him on the stool a moment to sputter and fritz, then gripped him gently around the belly. He tilted the baby looking for the panel on his thigh that would activate the valve that led to his holding tank for waste materials. Tapping the cover, he input the two number infant code inside and held him out over the refuse water hole in the floor. A stream of light blue-gray energon bled off, pattering into the gutter as Ironhide gently shook the infant to get the last drop of stuff from the once-every-five-orns procedure.

Orion held on to his atar's big servo with both of his own, outrage informing his features. The small hose nozzle that Ironhide inserted to spray out the tank didn't help and he let his atar know it. "ATAR! BAD! ATAR, ME OW! ADA, COME ME! OW, ME!"

The laughter that this brought from those less used to his hilarity didn't exactly help either. He burst into tears and wailed. Blackjack and Alor standing rooted to the floor in surprise looked at each other. "Oh 'Jack. That poor little baby."

"Slag that," Ironhide said closing the valve hole and the panel afterward. "This little hoodlum doesn't need sympathy," Ironhide said wrapping him in a towel. "He does this every time."

"What about him doing it for himself, son?" Blackjack said as they turned and walked to the living room.

Ratchet and Ironhide looked at them a moment. "Let him do it himself?" they both asked at the same time.

-0-On the road to Shangri-la

They walked along catching up on this and that, Ironhide and Blackjack holding one leash each. Sunspot sat on Ironhide's big arm listening, adding the odd comment as the two bots chatted. Alor walked with Ratchet. "This is wonderful. I got a call this morning from Herling. Apparently, they want me to teach music at the University."

"How lucky for the University," Ratchet said. "Are you going to do it?"

"If it can be worked around my military duties and my pleasure at being a grandada at last," he said nodding.

"You can take time off, Alor. We have that much depth now," Ratchet said as they both peered back at the caravan. Orion was explaining a paving stone to a kneeling deeply enraptured Grandatar and Praxus was showing a handful of sand to his atar. Alor and Ratchet grinned. Sunspot who had been placed gently on the ground was searching for a rock to give to Praxus.

"They are quite a picture," Alor said.

"They are," Ratchet replied with a chuckle. "Add to that the grandsparklings, the shirt tail relatives with the Prime and we have a full house."

"That is what makes this place precious to me," Alor said. "We have had experience with sparklings in the settlements. But not on a personal basis like this. It is still a dream, Ratchet. And now we can be here when we get the next one."

"I'm counting on it. Ironhide needs someone to catch him. He's very ... emotional."

"Good heads up," Alor said with a smile.

The group behind them got going in the right direction and they were on their way again. By the time they reached the school tower, they were part of a large migration of bots heading toward school as usual or school for the first time, adults and infants alike.

-0-Moments later upstairs

They walked off the elevator with infants galore joining the line for the babies' classrooms. As they did a room granny turned and froze. Neo who had a newly separated mech in her arms looked at Alor and Blackjack who looked at her with surprise. Glancing around a moment, she gathered herself and walked toward them. "Blackjack and Alor, I am so delighted to see you." She looked shaken, her voice reflecting her uncertain energy.

"Neo, I hear you help take care of our grandsparklings," Alor said nodding. "Thank you for that."

"It is my joy, Alor. I love this school and working here. I am so happy. Laret and I have a daughter too, an orphan."

Alor nodded. "I'm glad for you," he said sincerely. "Did you come on a migration?"

Neo nodded. "That seems so long ago just like all the rest. I don't like to think about such things. This is a new world and a new chance. We love it here and we support Prime 100%."

Alor nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. This is a new chance for everyone."

Neo nodded as Laret came to them, a worried expression on her face. "Alor, Blackjack ... what an amazing surprise. Ironhide must be so happy."

"I am," Ironhide said peering around his father with a grin. "I suppose you want the sparklings."

"You have that right," Neo said with a grin as she plucked a widely smiling Orion from his grandada's arms. Kissing him soundly, the group watched as Laret and Neo took the sparklings to their door and disappeared inside.

Alor glanced at Ratchet and Ironhide. "Will wonders never cease?" he asked with a smile.

Hilarity ensued.

-0-Upstairs moments later...

They stood in line with Sunspot as the doors opened and classes entered. They followed him to the door where they paused together. Alor and Blackjack knew Terradive from across the great divide of war. That he was the uber dedicated teacher of their grandsparkling nearly made their optics fritz. When the chat was done, promises made to be 'show and tell' in the near future just like his previous grandgenitors were they turned and left.

The ride down was amusing and the short walk to the street even more so. The sun was bright overhead and the city humming with activity. The City Hall and its allied substations held lines that extended outward as bots came forward to find employment and other city amenities that would help them become useful as well as fulfilled. Here and there, a flash of the ally from the third planet could be seen blazing away on their segways. It was an interesting sight among a plethora of them and by the time they entered the courtyard, then the Fortress, they were mingling with the other members of the Senior Autobot/Community Members Committee.

Moments later...

The last straggler entered and sat hurriedly as Prime leaned toward Prowl at the head of the table discussing something quietly. When the door was finally closed Prime turned to them and they began. "Welcome. We have new allies in our struggle and I will leave it to Ironhide to introduce them to those of you present who don't know who they are."

Ironhide grinned proudly and nodded. "Thank you, Optimus," he said looking at the others. "This is General Blackjack of Praxus who commanded the First Battalion since its inception during the Golden Age. This is Alor, Commander of Intelligence for the Autobot Armed Forces and the greatest musician and composer Cybertron ever produced."

"And they are Ironhide's ada and atar in case you didn't notice," Ratchet said with a great big smile.

Hilarity ensued.

Jazz chuckled. "I think we made the connections, Ratchet."

"So you noted the resemblance?" Ironhide asked with a smirk. "Too much handsomeness for some of them, Atar."

Blackjack snorted and grinned, an action that belied his usually stern visage.

"You won't get an argument from us," Alor said glancing at Ratchet who snickered. "Nope," that wily bot said.

"I am delighted to have you on staff and your citizens and soldiers in our army," Optimus said. "We gained over 1,500 seasoned warriors and more than 300 veteran Seekers. That doesn't even count the asset that 110,000 citizens offer to us in skills and servos on. I am also happy to know that there is beginning to be the reuniting of families and friends long lost. Thank you, Blackjack and Alor for your leadership and your preparation for this return. It would have been very difficult if not impossible to have that many new citizens come to us in this condition."

"It is our honor, Lord Optimus," Blackjack said formally. "We are incredibly happy to be here, to be united with our family, to be in an authentic Cybertronian city and cultural setting. Our younglings and sparklings will now know what that means as they grow up. Our adults and elders will be able to return to a setting that has only lived in memory. We are humbled to be here."

Ironhide listened to his father with incredible pride. His old mech was a stand up bot with colossal respect and admiration for tradition, the chain of command and the Prime they all served. He also held the unshakable belief that Optimus Prime was the one prophesied by the Chronicles. Ironhide felt immeasurable happiness at the presence and respectful reception of his genitors and it washed over the bond to Ratchet.

Ratchet no slouch in the genitor admiration category watched Ironhide's expression as he listened to his atar and ada pay their respects to the leader of their faction and the only living duly appointed official leader of their species. Ironhide's happiness was enormous. That meant his own was too.

"Thank you, General. I accept your service," Prime said nodding. He sat back pretty happy himself, then turned the meeting over to Prowl. They began on the housekeeping stuff before veering over into the pending and dangerous items.

"Barron, what is the status on the court docket?" Prowl asked.

"We have to hold a Prime Hearing on Retro. We have to settle the status of Sentinel and the Senators. We have to work out what to do with our long term recalcitrant slaggers ... Blind Spot and Turmoil for instance. And the last most recent case, that has to be held. All of the other things are being handled in Magistrate's Court."

"I would like to appoint Semi to the court as judge. I agree with your analysis of his qualifications," Optimus said.

"Thank you, sir. I will inform him," Barron said nodding.

"Please make an appointment with Prowl and we will schedule these cases. I would also like to talk to you about a convocation regarding the caste system."

He nodded. "I will do that, sir."

"Please extend my appreciation to the legal community here. I would suggest that you scan the newcomers for more legal staff. I know you want to build up the Public Defender's Office and make legal expertise available to all in both civil and criminal cases."

"I will," Barron said deeply pleased. "Thank you, Prime."

He nodded and glanced at Prowl. "Starscream, your update please," that bot said.

He nodded and began. "We have 320 seasoned veterans to add to the air force, Prime. There are a number of needed specialties including half a dozen teleporting mechs, some who are extremely skilled in subterfuge, spying, technical invasion tactics and stealth. I can give a greater definition of what that includes if you wish. As for the housing situation ... we are doing fine. We do have plans into the Planning Department at City Hall about extending the habitat further. We would like to keep the original structure at twelve stories.

"Our hatchling population is rising and the impact on the schools will have to be addressed. I would also like to include in the school programming a class that teaches infants to fly. We have mechs in the University who will be graduating at some point and they have been working on a pre-flight and beginning flight program. We feel that is missing at this moment with the few resources we have being unevenly utilized."

"That is a spectacular idea, Starscream," Herling said with a smile. "We must talk."

Starscream nodding grinned his usual sly smirk."It is isn't it."

Hilarity ensure.

=0=TBC

2012 (9)