The Diego Diaries: Onward Ho (dd6 72)
-0-Into the day
Ratchet walked into his office to spy Partition sitting in his chair behind his desk.
They stared at each other, then Partition got up slowly.
"Move along, infant, or you're going to be a patient," Ratchet said as he walked to sit in his chair.
Partition slouched to a couch, then sat. It was silent a moment. "So I can see that Festival had an only the slightest marginal effect on you."
Partition shrugged. "Nothing of my personal life is your business."
"Actually, according to your own caste court everything that ISyou is my business," Ratchet said. He sat back with a slight smirk. "They even gave me permission to slap the slag out of you."
"You can try," Partition said.
Partition's remark reminded Ratchet of a pouty little sub adult who was feuding with his family. Never having been that kid himself as cognizant as he was of their poverty, his family's sacrifices for him and the stress they were under to provide, Ratchet had never pushed them or tried to do anything that would add more worries to their pile. Kids like this he understood to a degree but the selfish self-contentedness of them was outside of his personal experience. His ada would have spanked his aft if he was 'one of those younglings'. "You make me laugh."
"I don't intend to," Partition said as his frown deepened.
"We're going to Diego Garcia today because I have to check the facility for medical and do exams. You're coming. Given that this is the single most important alliance we have, I'll personally slap the slag out of you if you so much as blink out of line." He rose. "Get the lead out, slagger," he said as he walked to the door.
Partition watched him go, then got up to follow. He would have to hoof it, something that irritated him no end just to keep even with the long legged mech. Ratchet who could walk as fast as some cars drove given his medical status and the resultant crush to reach the injured within nanoseconds that status demanded quashed a grin as the mech tagged along slightly behind him. It would stay that way to the bridge room of The Fortress.
They walked into the building, past the little elders playing games, sitting together and/or chatting, then entered the Rec Room, the first and foremost one in the colony.
Prowl who was standing by the door called to him.
Ratchet detoured with Partition behind him. He halted before Prowl as Partition moved to stand next to him with a belligerent expression on his handsome face. "You rang?" Ratchet asked.
"You aren't taking him are you?" Prowl asked without any of the niceties.
"I sort of inherited him," Ratchet said with a dazzling grin.
"No, you sought him out in some kind of demented merciful moment," Prowl said. "There's a huge difference. Now you think you're going to take this idiot with you to one of the most sensitive and highly watched human habitations that we have?"
"Yes. That about sums it up," Ratchet said.
"That would be a dumb idea," Prowl said as he glanced at the youngster who was growing crosser by the moment. "He can't be trusted to act the right way. He's a spoiled, entitled, narcissistic dolt. I don't approve of this."
"You have to let them fall, Prowler. At some point, we have to cut the cord and let them toddle along without us holding them up," Ratchet said. "If he crashes, then I get to punch him out. Or better yet, I'll let the garrison have him for a gauntlet."
Partition glanced sharply at Ratchet. "You can't do that."
"They said I could punch you. They didn't say I couldn't farm it out. Look alive, Partition, or you're going to be the garrison's punching bag."
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" he said with gathering alarm.
"Take me to court," Ratchet said as he turned to go. "Keep up, youngling." He headed for the bridge with a brisk step.
Partition looked at Prowl with a gathering sense of doom clearly expressed on his face, then hurried after Ratchet.
Prowl watched him go with a slight smirk.
:Prowler:
:What?:
:Thanks:
:Don't thank me yet. If he frags up, a gauntlet will be the least he has to worry about. Prowl out: He grinned, then walked into Ops Center for duty.
-0-At the bridge
"This is a great bridge. It can send up to the end of the universe or to Cukamonga. Right now, SEND US TO DIEGO, MY MAN!" Ratchet said with a huge grin to the bridge operators.
They laughed, called up a bridge, then watched as the two walked inside. It was a maelstrom of light before they reached the pad at Diego.
Stepping off, Ratchet bowed. "Hello, boys. Mama is here for your exams."
"Hey, Ratchet," Zipper, a young Home Guardsman said as he laughed. "Do I have to have one?"
"Nope, infant," Ratchet said. "You already have. I have to get the other slaggers. This could be fun."
"I hope so. Call me if it is. Okay?" he asked with a smile.
"Count on it, infant," Ratchet said as he walked toward the door.
Partition followed.
They headed out, then upward to the rec room and the operational center above. Stepping out, they paused together in a rec room that was empty. Beyond, the doors outside were open and sunlight streamed in. Clouds were high overhead and it was hot, about 87 degrees Fahrenheit. It felt good to him as a light breeze stirred.
"This is the original operational center and base for us when we came here years ago, the five of us. We managed to secure a few more soldiers along the way … Arcee, Sideswipe … Hound came. It was slow going and very uncertain but when the refugees began to hear from us, they came in numbers. The humans would never allow us to settle here so we went to Mars and began to build. That first refugee group was about 50 or so. I can't really remember the actual number but it was huge to us. We took them in, elders, families, soldiers, orphans and never looked back."
Partition looked around. "This isn't the same place."
"No," Ratchet agreed. "The first building was a huge hangar with underground rooms that was blasted by the Insecticon strike of … whenever it was. That was my med bay," he said pointing to a conference room for pilots. "They moved it a bit. It's all high tech and Cybertronian. I miss the old building. It had character and memories," he said as he walked toward the Ops Center.
Partition followed.
Ratchet entered to cat calls and shouts of welcome. "HELLO, BOYS! WHAT'S UP!?"
"Well, not much now that you mention it," a human said with a big smile. He was sitting at a console on a platform working his part of the equation here in the center. There were always five humans working here on any shift, liaisons and such for the human contingent.
"I expected gossip, William," Ratchet said to the grinning sargent who he'd come to like a lot. "How disappointing. However, I'm here for medical exams so let the games begin." He hit all five with his sensors, then read the data. "You're disgustingly fit and well. Where are the others?"
"At the beach entertaining the masses," William said.
"Thanks, infants. We'll be back," Ratchet said as he ambled out the door again.
Partition followed.
Ratchet walked outside to stand in the sunlight. It could easily become overcast. He hoped not. He liked the heat and solar. "Smell that smell," he said. "That's the ocean. Let's go find the bots. They're probably playing there with their fan club."
Ratchet walked toward the buildings farther down as all around him humans began to gather. They were off duty, it would appear to Partition and used to seeing Cybertronians around. Many were the cameras and phones pulled out to take Ratchet's picture, so famous was he in the world of squishies apparently.
They made their way along, Ratchet waving, stopping to chat with some he apparently knew and even bending down for comical self portrait pictures with them.
:Why are you doing that?: he asked as they continued onward.
:You have to ask? You want to be a diplomat. This is diplomating 101, infant. Selfies are one of their religions, apparently: They reached the Officer's Club where Ratchet slowed, then stopped.
Several officers, some who were friends, were standing outside with several civilians. Everyone of them was delighted to see Ratchet but one. Even Partition could tell that.
Ratchet knelt. "Hello, boys. How's the soldiering going here?"
"It's all good, Ambassador," one of them said, a tall human colonel who'd just been assigned to the base, a choice posting in the army and navy of a number of nations. "What brings you here?"
"Physicals," Ratchet said with a grin. "Have to keep up with maintenance. Literally."
Everyone laughed but the one who stared at Ratchet with an appraising expression.
Ratchet looked at him. "Hello, Frazer. I see you're still here."
"No thanks to you," Frazer said with an edge to his voice.
"What's your problem, human?" Partition asked in perfect English. He bore the languages and slang databases among other language tools that Ratchet had ordered him to download. He didn't want to do it but at this moment he was glad he did.
Ratchet glanced at him. :Easy:
:He's a slagger: Partition said. :He has no respect for us:
:That's obvious. But there's more to the story. Let it go and I might fill you in, apprentice:
Partition gave a gimlet optic to Ratchet but said no more.
Ratchet glanced down at Frazer again. "I had nothing to do with you fragging up. That's yours, Frazer. You might try and figure out how to take personal responsibility. It's the adult thing to do."
Frazer stared at Ratchet with a frosty expression. "I'm coming to Mars in three days to work at Earth2. You can't do a damned thing about that posting." He grinned slightly with a sense of triumph.
"Do you think so?" Ratchet asked with a slightly bemused expression of his own.
"Internal personnel decisions aren't yours to make. It's part of the charter," Frazer said.
"No, but whether or not you ever leave the building to come outside falls completely in my domain. Read the fine print of the charter, infant," Ratchet said as he stood. He looked at the other men who were solemn-faced at the exchange. "I have to bag a few runners for their exams. See ya, boys. Come to Mars some time. I'll show you around."
"Thanks, Ratchet," one of them said.
They watched as Ratchet and Partition walked onward, then turned to Frazer. "You're an idiot."
Frazer glared at them, then Ratchet. Without a word, he walked onward. In three days, he would board a ship, take the scenic route to Mars, then become part of the staff at Earth2. His father and mother would follow later.
-0-At the beach
They were playing ball in the water, half a dozen mechs splashing and drowning each other as they played with a Cybertronian football. It was the classic, 'kill the ball carrier' and a great source of entertainment and video for the masses who were crowded along the shore above the waterline.
Ratchet and Partition watched for a moment, then Ratchet blasted his horn.
They stopped as everyone turned to see the two, Ratchet with a big grin and Partition with a slightly irritated and embarrassed frown.
:Did you have to do that?: he asked with a glare at Ratchet.
Ratchet glanced at him. "OH, FRAG, YEAH!Didn't your genitors ever embarrass you in public? What's wrong with you, youngling? You're missing out on some of life's finer things," Ratchet asked as he bent down to talk to several of the humans who were closest.
The mechs stood in the water waist deep as Smokey tossed the ball from servo to servo."RATCHET! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" he called out.
"Why, wait just a second and I'll show you," Ratchet said in reply. He chatted a moment, then began to pick his way to the beach with Partition following. That mech looked like a bored kid having to go shopping with his mommy. They halted on the beach, then with lightning speed, Ratchet grabbed Partition, hoisted him over his helm, planted himself like only a medical mechanism could, then flung the kid into the ocean. He soared over their helms landing way out behind them, then sinking completely out of sight. "That. I'm here to do that."
-0-TBC 7-25-17 edited 8-2-17 01-28-2022