The Diego Diaries: Getting Gone (dd8 147)
=0=There
Ratchet watched as the population of Meadow Lands began to wind down. There had been two incidents when younger mechs had expressed their deep anger at the entire situation and had been cuffed and carted off for Winnie to manage on the prison ship in orbit overhead. There were about a dozen or so, mechs all, in the ship and they'd be checking into the jail when they arrived on Mars.
"We have about fifty left, Ada," Sunstreaker said as he stood on one side of Ratchet with Sideswipe on the other. "It'll be good to be home again."
"What's your schedule?" Ratchet asked.
"I'm down but Sideswipe has to go to Europa and finish his shift," Sunny replied.
"I have three orns, then home. How about golf when we get back?" he asked Ratchet who grinned.
"Sounds good to me," Ratchet replied. "I haven't played but I hear its fun, lasts around eighteen holes, you get loaded afterward at brunch, then race golf carts. I'm in."
"So am I," Sideswipe said with a chuckle.
Raptor and Jack who were approaching paused beside the group.
"Last ones coming now," Raptor said. "We give a couple of orns to strip mine this place, then leave it. I suppose the guardian or whatever mechanism that handles reality here will take care of this place for us like they did with the other settlement. I asked Onyx and the others before they left to go back to Cybertron if we needed to dismantle the place. He listened and said it wasn't necessary. The entity will take care of it with harmonics."
"Harmonics?" Sunstreaker asked.
"Apparently, you can manipulate reality with sound or something. I don't get it but then I'm Raptor and I don't have to," he said with a big smile.
"You won't get an argument out of me," Ratchet said with a snicker. "Its easy to see where old mouthy came from."
"You mean my perfect little mech? That one?" Raptor asked.
"Maybe," Ratchet replied. "Did you know that they want to advance Praxus again?"
Jack and Raptor frowned.
"Not that slag again," Jack said. "Little mech is a cream puff. Putting him in a regular type school might harm him, he's so gentle and sweet."
"I know," Ratchet said. "Apparently Ironhide was holding out. I'll have to introduce my big old ped to his aft when I get there."
"Take video," Sunstreaker said with a chuckle.
"Always," Ratchet said. "Did I ever show you my blooper real of 'facing momen-?"
He was jumped and noogied into the ground. Rising with fake offense, he grinned at the mechs smirking at him with deep affection/awe. "Fraggers. I can understand your envy though."
The last group passed by them staring straight ahead with a stony expression, then were directed into a shuttle or two. They would be gone to space in seconds.
Jack glanced at Ratchet and the twins. "We're going to wrap this up. We're going to inspect this place helm to ped to make sure nothing is left behind that's dangerous, needy or important. I think the three of you can go back if you want."
"Well, that's mighty fine of you, Dad," Ratchet said as he jumped on Raptor to hug him. He hugged Jack as well. "You'll finish up after or before the movers and techs?"
"We're the last out," Jack said. "Tell everyone we're coming."
Ratchet and the twins slapped servos with the two. "Done deal. See ya. Wouldn't want to be ya." With that, he sashayed to the shuttle with the twins and disappeared.
Jack and Raptor watched them go with smirks, then glanced at each other. "I don't know why they wouldn't want to be me. I'm Raptor after all."
Jack grinned. "My sentiments exactly. Care to trade places?"
"I would but I'm Raptor," the big mech said as they began to walk to the colony nearby. They would laugh all the way there.
=0=In space
They walked out of the transport's bridge, then took an elevator to the deck where everyone was waiting. Walking out, they entered one of three huge lounges that could accommodate over a thousand individuals on just this deck alone. The ships outside could be seen through the windows as Ratchet and the twins walked to the group to find a seat for transport.
The room stilled when they walked in, watching them with stony faces and optics filled with rage, hatred and violence. Apparently, the planetary effect was still working hard on them, though there was a great deal of angst being expended toward them for the speed by which they were found, then moved away. It was anyone's guess whether their entitlement was a hard factor in their mood but it was a bet no one would probably lose money on if they made it.
Ratchet glanced around the room, then the guards here and there. The twins were their usual hardcore coldness, meeting the refugee's gazes with equal intensity. "Well, isn't this cozy."
No one answered.
"When we get to Mars you'll be directed forward. Do what they ask and you can be in your new homes nearly immediately. We have a very good system that accommodates groups," Ratchet said.
"So you say," someone said, a big mech who sat across from Ratchet with several others.
"You saw the videos of the colony and how things are there, right?" Sideswipe asked in his deeply masculine voice.
"Anyone can make a video," the mech replied.
""We did. They're masterful but they don't quite capture the full essence of the place," Ratchet said.
Sunstreaker nodded. "Yeah. The place smells like freedom." His gaze was hard to meet but he never underestimated the foolishness of someone who was never held accountable for their conduct. Entitlement was hard armor for the foolhardy.
"Is that what it smells like?" another big mech asked. "I was thinking of something else."
"Make an appointment with me and I'll power spray your nose assembly," Ratchet said as Sideswipe snorted with amusement. "The colony actually smells like roses." Ratchet gave him his best smile.
"How many high castes live there?" an elder femme asked.
"None," Ratchet replied.
"None?" she asked with surprise.
"None because Prime and Primus outlawed The System at the penalty of honor fights. I would personally pay to watch anyone of you fight Primus. He's about eighty or ninety feet tall, right?" he asked glanced at the twins.
They nodded without comment even as their gaze never left the two big mechs across from them.
"You met Primus?" the first big mech asked.
All three nodded.
Ratchet grinned. "He likes us. Fancy that."
"I'd have to see it to believe it," the second mech replied.
"Keep the caste thing going and you will," Sideswipe replied.
"You said there were no high castes. There aren't?" the femme persisted. "What did you do with all of them? I know they were among the refugees that you've kidnapped all over the galaxy."
Sunstreaker leaned forward slightly. "We don't kidnap anyone. We rescue, sometimes at great cost. They live all over the colony because they know their fragging entitlement is banned. No one is better than anyone else and if you push it I'm going to volunteer to be there when you're arrested. I personally will help them kick your aft if you resist." He sat back with a blazing aura and an expression of pure fury.
A mech leaned into the room from the door that led to the flight deck. "Commander Ratchet, we're going to be holding a short while. General Raptor is checking out a number of things and said to hold the ship."
"Thank you, Rem," Ratchet said. He glanced at the group. "What sort of things do you suppose Raptor is looking into?"
The mechs shrugged. "Nothing worth bothering with. We had to leave fast so I imagine someone left a burner on."
Chuckles rounded the room, unfriendly ones, then everyone settled.
"Raptor … of Praxus. I knew him and his family. I don't like them very much. They don't have a good opinion of themselves and The System," an elderly femme sitting next to the other femme said offhandedly, like she was trying to remember faded memories.
"Raptor forgot more than the entire group of you will ever know," Sideswipe said. "He's the greatest mech ever. Your slagging caste would've destroyed Cybertron faster without the Elites. They were putting themselves on the line while you sat on your afts in your slagging mansions stealing everything not nailed down. In no universe I know of do any of you have the right to comment on him or any of us. Fragging cowards."
The mood shifted immediately.
"You have no right to talk to her like that," a big mech said as he stood in outrage.
"She should shut her trap then," Sunstreaker said. "We're risking our afts to save yours before the insects and plants slag you to the Pit. You don't have to thank us and you're all too dumb to do that but you better treat all of us with respect."
"Or what?" the big mech asked. He hadn't noticed that Winnie and Roadbuster were standing in a doorway across the room, leaning against the doorjamb as they watched the show.
Sunstreaker stood, then advanced his swords. "I'll let you draw the conclusion yourself, fragger."
It was brutal in the room as the two glared at each other.
"That would be messy. If you skewer them like you have others, I'll be doing joors of handwork putting his helm back on his neck. Why don't you think of me?" Ratchet asked with a big smile.
Sunstreaker glanced at him, then grinned as his posture relaxed a tad. "Only for you." He retracted his swords, then sat slowly down again.
"Sit, fragger," Sideswipe said. "The prison ship is next door and that femme over there," he said nodding toward the doorway with Winnie and Roadie, "can kick your slagging aft all the way to Mars without a ship if you give her a good reason."
The mech stared at the tall femme with all the tattoos, some of them incredibly famous and indicative of someone at the highest rarefied heights of martial skill possible. She grinned at him. He stared at her, then sat again. It was instructive.
"WINNIE! Come in and sit with us. We're just getting acquainted with the new meat here," Ratchet said. "You, too, Roadie."
"I'm good, Ratchet. Someone might act up and if I'm sitting I can't punch them through a wall as fast as if I'm standing," Roadbuster said in his deeply dialed in nearly monotone voice that indicated he was locked and loaded.
Winnie walked down the rows, then sat down beside Sunstreaker. "How you doing, Ratchet?"
"Fine as frog's hair. My son Praxus is being considered to be excelled in school again. I don't think I agree with it but the little slagger is smart even if he's a cream puff with peds," Ratchet said.
Winnie chuckled. "Kids are tough. He's going to be a legend, I imagine."
"He's our brother. How can he not?" Sideswipe said with a grin.
Ratchet smirked. "If anyone's going to be a legend around here its me."
Winnie sat back. "Okay," she said to general laughter of their small group.
"What's the prison group like?" Ratchet asked.
"They yelled until Roadie showed them a better path," Winnie said. "Roadie is my hero."
Roadie glanced at the femme he worshiped, then almost grinned. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Winnie said.
"Your boys are just about ready for level 2 in Intermediate School. Have they decided what they want to do yet?" Ratchet asked.
"No. We told them no prison work nor the military. I didn't get them this far to have something happen to them now. Fortunately, they told me they'd rather … what was it? 'Lick a razor blade' then be a cop, prison guard or soldier." She grinned. "They like sports."
Ratchet chuckled. "My kind of kids."
"We have about 12 prisoners and we're going to take them to the jail at the Courthouse for booking. Springer and Drift will be there waiting," Winnie said.
"Then I'm going to watch the show," Ratchet said. "Nothing like high caste entitlement to make the night complete."
That didn't go over very well.
=0=TBC 4-25-2021
NOTE: I hate not replying to notes any faster than this but I moved my desk into my goof off room and will put the replies in tomorrow. HUGS, my darlings. :D