The Diego Diaries: Festival (dd6 67)
-0-Getting on
"ADA! You helpeded me to doing this?"
Ratchet glanced up from a datapad toward Orion. He was having breakfast at the table with the other kids including the dreads who had said they'd fast but were easily coaxed to breakfast by their ammas.
"You infants need to eat. Listen to your Amma," Ravel had said as he began to fill large plates with heaping mounds of breakfast. "You might need your strength and where would you be then?" he asked as he handed the plate to Genesis. Ravel got another and began to do the same. They sheepishly took them, Fireball and Quasar, then sat to eat along with the smaller fry.
Reflector sat beside Sunspot filling his face with food as he beamed with happiness. "Ada, are we supposed to meet you at the Temple too?"
Ratchet nodded. "You infants and your families are part of ours. Yes," he said. "You come to the set-aside place in front of the steps just like before and meet us there."
"Okay," he said sweetly as he continued to eat.
Ratchet grinned at him, delighted to have him back. Now, if they could just keep him …
"What do we do today, Ada? There's no school," Hero said as she sat on her booster seat. She was so tiny it was the only way that she could see what was going on. "How come you and everyone else don't eat with us?"
"We're skipping dinner until tonight, infant," Ratchet said. "You kids won't but we will. It's part of Festival. That's where we're going, to the Temple. Uncle Optimus has to go speak to the Pantheon."
"He's going to see Onyx Prime?" she asked.
Orion perked up. "I SEED THAT SHE! HE BIG SHE! She big and things that she doing," he said mimicking the Prime's great wings. "She sayed to me. YOU! COMED TO ME, SHE! I COMED TO YOU! YOU, ORION, GOOD! YOU, GO TO THE SHES! He hug me."
Everyone stared at Orion as he told his 'story', then they grinned. His stories were hilarious with truth wrapped in an entertaining package. Ironhide sat back to take in the magnificence of his first born smallest little mech. "He hugged you?"
Orion who was basting himself in the attention looked at his father. "He hug me, Orion. I sayed to him. SHE! YOU COMED TO ME, ORION!? He sayed to me, "I love Orion." A gigantic cheese-eating smile accompanied that.
Swallowing a guffaw, Ironhide pressed on. "He said he loved you? What did you do to get him to love you?"
Orion considered that. "I camed to Eemi. She goed thing and felled. I sayed, 'I, ORION, COMED TO THE SHE! I camed to her and tooken that."
"What?" Ironhide said. "What did you tooken?"
Orion looked down then strained to show his tiny black ped, a tiny version of the big ones Ironhide tromped around on. "This."
Ironhide grinned. "You grabbed her foot? Her ped?"
Orion nodded. "I comed to Eemie. She falled. We falled. Down, down, down," he said as he weaved in his chair to show 'down', "down, down, dow-" With that, he fell off his chair. A thud was heard as Prowler and Fireball stared downward with surprise. Sitting between them, Orion had fallen to the floor.
"Orion, I'm coming," Prowler said as he tried to get down.
Fireball gently pressed Prowler to sit, then reached down to rummage until he pulled Orion back up. He hung from Fireball's servo by one ped. Swaying gently, he smiled enormously. That's when the guffaws were given full rein.
Putting the infant back in his seat, Fireball turned back to his food with a big grin. "You're so cute. I can't imagine why Onyx or any other Prime wouldn't love you."
Orion smiled. "FEE-FEE LOVE ME, ORION! I LOVE FEE-FEE!" he said, then leaned sideways to hug 'Fee-Fee'. Fireball not seeing him until too late watched him fall forward and face plant onto the rug below. A thud was heard, then a muted voice. "Ow. I, Orion, owed me."
Guffaws were had again.
-0-Temple
The crowds were already gathering or heading toward the Temple. They would likely number into the millions. Many millions more would be watching from other places including their homes as the crush made attendance difficult or unattractive for some. It would be broadcast all over the colony utilizing the 2,500 normal cameras from the traffic system, several thousand more from businesses and towers along with 512 laid on just for the event. Most of them were tiny devices affixed to the buildings temporarily with all angles worked out by the IntraComm techs in charge of the filming.
They would be showing the scene all the way out to the Consulate which was the facility the farthest from the colony proper. It was one half mile further out than Earth2 which was several miles away from Earth 1 and the Consulate. The broadcast would also be going to Cybertron and the rest of the Empire and it would be 'leaked' to the bad guys. It didn't hurt to have Razorclaw know of the depth of the support Prime got from the Pantheon.
In a control room in IntraComm, the order of filming of the Prime's exit from his home tower to the Temple and back again was being test run. Meanwhile, in a studio nearby …
"The weather this morning is predicted to be very mild and conducive to a good outing for the special event. It will be cold, about -63 to -50 degrees Fahrenheit so make sure that those most vulnerable are sufficiently covered. It's recommended that babies and toddlers be brought in carry holds or carriers today to protect them from the elements. Older children should be bundled up against the cold.
"A conversation with Inferno, commander of Emergency Response and Services for the colony detailed the efforts that City Hall has undertaken to provide for any emergencies that might arise in the crowd during the waiting period or during gathering and disperal around the Temple and surrounding areas. They have designed a more rapid response to those who might need assistance and ask that spectators be cognizant of them and allow passage.
"Day and Night Watch officers augmented with soldiers will be working the crowds to ensure that all is well and that anyone who gets lost from their group can be returned safely. Last year, fifteen infants were separated from their families in the crush, so be aware and make sure that yours stay with you. All policing forces will be on the look out for this and other situations as they arise.
"We spoke to the Temple staff earlier to hear about preparations for the visit of the Prime. Gen-O talked to Armour and Lauren at the Temple itself," Lim-Lee said as a story cued up.
(Cut to the steps of the Temple)
"Lord Lauren, what has the Temple done to get itself ready for the visitation and the resulting crowds afterward?" Gen-O asked. The distinguished bot with a beautiful voice stood between the two mechs who looked as calm and happy as any other time.
"As you know, there are several groups that have volunteered to help care for the Temple and grounds. Each of them have taken a portion of the work and accomplished it to a very high degree. I'm so happy to have the assistance. This is a very large facility with many needs and with a growing population, we are busy attending to the needs of The People. Most of us have so many duties with visitations to home, hospitals and care centers as well as the prison, education classes at the University and here at the Temple … all of it is so important but it takes us away from maintaining directly as we did in Simfur. We are so grateful for our people's assistance. We are grateful for the humans too.
"Our greatest artifacts have been displayed in the Pavilion and will be available for viewing for the next two decaorns. They will include a number of our oldest books, iconic images and several weapons that are Primal in nature. The Pavilion itself has been expanded and different display possibilities have been added to the site to use in different events. The swords will be there including the Star Saber. We have put them into security fields to protect The People," he said.
"I understand that a Maker will be attending to Prime on the processional to the Temple," Gen-O asked.
Armour nodded. "Turbine of Praxus is a Maker. Their sect actually has seven members here, six of them recovered in the last migration. Only Turbine is a Maker. This will be the first time since probably Guardian Prime that a Maker has been here to do this. It will be a very exciting thing," he said.
"How early do The People who are coming have to be here?" Gen-O asked.
"If you can come to wait that long, come early if you want to be near the Temple but remember. No matter where you are, if you are at home, on Cybertron or lost in the galaxy, The One and Primus will find and bless you. You are never alone and you are never lost. You will always be known and loved," Lauren said.
"Thank you both," Gen-O said with a bow of his helm.
"Our pleasure," Lauren said. "Go in a good way."
"Thank you," Gen-O replied, then turned to the camera. "Now, back to the studio."
Lim-Lee's beautiful face appeared. "Thank you, Gen-O. In other news, the Earth2 and Earth 1 Habitats sent letters of good will and best wishes to the Office of the Primes expressing their pleasure at being on world for the celebrations. They are confined to their habitats during the Solemnities which is perhaps a good thing considering the size of the crowds that will be out and about.
"N.E.S.T. Headquarters and the Family Tower have permission to attend as do those at the Sciences Habitat for the first time this year," Lim-Lee said. "An official delegation from the Hu-An Habitat will be present but the United Nations Consulate will also be confined during the orn. All of the festival minus those things which have been declared culturally off limits will be broadcast to the human habitats on world and to Earth. The Resort is also quarantined until the siren sounds.
"It is the custom of the human population … N.E.S.T., Sciences, the Family Tower inhabitants as well as Earth 1 to have a dinner celebration together after the siren sounds ending the Festival. The tradition will be continuing. Jacx spoke to Will Lennox and his genitors this afternoon at the N.E.S.T. Headquarters on Cultural Center Road."
(Cut to N.E.S.T. HQ.)
"Major Lennox, tell us about the tradition of celebration following the Festival among the human community," Jacx asked as he knelt in the air lock of N.E.S.T. HQ.
"Well, we were unclear what the respectful thing to do the first time the Festival came around but as we learned more, we decided to include the festival into our schedule of personal celebrations. We get together as a community, the humans here, and have dinner once the siren sounds. Our children have a hard time missing meals so they don't fast but the rest of us give it a shot."
"How many make it to the siren?" Jacx asked with a smile.
"Uh, well … a few do. Most of us have a good intention but you know how that goes," Will said with a grin.
"We aim to fast all the way through like last year," Thelma Lennox said as her husband, Jonathan Lennox nodded. "We all hope to get there but some of us are frail reeds." Thelma grinned at her son.
He grinned back. Sheepishly.
-0-Elsewhere
"Are you going to fast, Daddy?" Rain Harris asked as she sat in the office of her father, Owen.
"No. Are you?" Owen asked.
She considered him a moment, then shrugged. "I'll give it a try."
"That's all we can do," Owen said as he sipped his coffee. Sitting before him was a plate with a sandwich, chips and a big slice of pie. He grinned. "After I eat my sandwich, ask me again."
The scene switched to the outside view of things. Thousands of bots were already heading toward the Temple, many driving on the crowded roads but most walking or flying in, to transform in the air and land. It was riveting.
-0-TBC 7-17-17 edited 8-1-17
ESL: frail reed(s): someone who is a frail reed is weak. This is a saying that names someone a weakling if they get called this. :D