The Diego Diaries: Carry On (dd6 78)
NOTE: I'm editing the slag out of this and noticed that I've called the Epps sister by about three names. I counted them and I have called her Lucy more times than any other so that's what I think I'll leave. The others will be changed. Bad me. Senility is not for the faint of heart. :D:D:D:D:D Hugs to the eagle eyed who catch stuff like that. I'm also going to fix a few parts that got switched. SIGH! If I didn't like this I would hate it. (If that makes sense) :D:D HUGS!
On with the show ...
-0-School
They lined up to go inside. Humans in their boxes now carried by three aides were part of that group. One by one, the lines went inside to ride up the elevators to their classrooms where their teachers were waiting for them. It was noisy and happy as they streamed in, then the doors closed on the last group. The playground was empty once more.
Sunspot stood in the elevator with his besties all around him. They had played chase outside before school started and he made sure that the only humans he was around were the ones he knew. There were more than forty new human kids here, boys and girls, some of them teenaged they were told. They hung together for now, most of them, but that would change with time every teacher said. It was hoped that the local kids would help the newcomers feel welcome.
The elevator doors opened, then one by one the three lines inside stepped out walking down the wide corridors to their classrooms. The hallway had displays both on the walls and in lighted cabinets thatshowcased the creations of the students. Reaching Mr. Terradive's door, they walked in as he stood in the entry greeting them. It was noisy and happy as they ran to lockers in the back or to their tables to get ready.
An aide put down the box in the hallway, then opened the little door on the side. About twelve kids inside ran out heading for their classrooms. They were grouped together, between two and three of them per classroom. It was considered more helpful for assimilation that they were. Given that a few of the classrooms had kids from the local human community, they were asked to intake two to three more. Terradive had three femmes and one was across the hallway with his teaching partner, Mrs. Lyrica.
They streamed in and joined the others to get ready. Sitting down, watching the class as the kids went about their business, Rain Harris set her 'desk case' just so. Inside among the pencils and other tools was a tiny camera that could record anything it was pointed at.
Lucy Epps and Sandy Thomas sat down at the table with Harris, Lilly Brown and Camilla Baker. They were part of the 'house team' that would help the newbies learn how things went.
Annabelle sat at the table next to them with the other human kids. On the other side sat Silverbow, Sunspot, Comet, Turbo, Lively who was a sweet mini-con kid from 'the Villages' as most would say and Stark who was a tall winger from a scientific family. He struggled with math, something that was an oddity in the high powered family he came from but the wounds he got from their flight to freedom could account for it. Otherwise, he was a sound, happy little mech.
The bell rang signaling school to begin as Terradive turned on the giant monitor with the emblems and an aerial view of the colony. It covered the entire wall on that side of the room with image sizing up to mini-con. It was an amazing innovation for the classroom.
{"It would appear that its warmer today, about -67 below zero. No winds. Just the right day to be inside learning. Any homework?"} Terradive asked with a grin.
Two kids jumped up, slotted their data pads at the device on his desk, then downloaded their work. Pulling them free, they ran back to their chairs to sit.
{"Any notes or messages for me?"}
No one had any but a hand went up. {"Are conferences soon?"}
{"In two orns,"} Terradive said. They were speaking in NeoCybex now because the local human kids understood, read and wrote it fluently. The new kids listened on the translation channel and when things were written on the boards or shown in books they used translators there, too.
The monitor in the front showed up on everyone's school data pad and thus was translated for the newcomer's convenience. They would not be learning any bot languages from the school. {"I will be having a substitute teacher for them,"} he said as the room groaned. He grinned. {"It's Mr. Therri."} They cheered. Terradive chuckled, then looked at each of them. {"Get out your geography books please."}
A flurry of activity erupted as they complied, then sat with their books, some of them open to the part of chapter three where they would discuss the concept of lunar seas utilizing examples in the solar system here.
The new girls opened their books which were set to show English in the text and videos.
Rain Harris had shown her textbooks and data pads to her father who had examined them carefully. He didn't want to tamper even though he burned to do so. The books were like any other but the pages were the thinnest form of metal he''d ever seen. They were beautifully printed, utilized all the colors of the rainbow doing so to create beautiful work and had embedded images as well as videos. All he had to do was touch them to make them play. Hed sat for a couple of hours reading her geography book, its supplements as well as her math texts. History was missing. They weren't allowed to take them home.
They were especially interesting. The main text, "The History of the Cybertronian Empire' was keyed to her alone. She could open it and but he couldn't. It was a security feature for the human kids from Earth2. They hadn't proved themselves yet. What Harris didn't know was that every book held by anyone at Earth2 that was educational or otherwise filled with information recorded who used it. They would know he looked at them and if it was persistent rather than a one off curiosity about what his daughter was using, they would be able to intervene.
The History book took the Cybertronians back to their beginnings. Right now, they were studying something called The War of Rust. The supplementary materials were biographies of important figures then. Nothing in the ones these children had made more than vague allusions to the Pantheon or other religious figures. Those books these kids would not get and they would neither be in class for those lessons nor go to the Temple to be part of Lady Sela's classes.
The science books as well were not allowed to go home. The kids worked on those areas at school. The new kids were the only ones to whom this applied. All of these lessons including math were taught by their specialist teaching team.
'They started their day with Terradive. Once geography and math were completed, the kids went to their 'catch up' school. During that time the sensitive subjects such as history, sciences and culture were taught to the rest of the class. Any field trips to sensitive places happened then. Their regular trips to the Temple and other related places like the shrines which were now open to schools for their historical and artistic features were held during this part of the day for those with human children in the Teaching Center.
Afternoons were filled with art, music, dancing, gym class and other things that all could do without breaching any security issues. They also ate and played together, visited the library as a group and had lessons at the planetarium located at their school near the 'greenhouses' during the afternoon.
{"What we need to do today is work out what the composition of a lunar body like Io might be. Turn to page 110. There is a video of a landing made by soldiers when the forward base was once there. Let's watch it and see what happens,"} he said as he put the video up on the main screen as well.
A viewpoint of a group of soldiers, some of whom could be seen sitting in the hold of a shuttle while it descended toward the ground filled the screen. They was going to the forward base at Io and their commentary was about the increase in seismic activity over the past few days.
The shuttle set down, then the image jumped madly. The mechs were tossed around inside the shuttle, then staggered to their feet, standing just off balance enough to be concerning. The ship had sunk through the crusted frozen surface of the planet when it landed. The hatch door opened as a big mech peered out. The frozen world outside was a demonic sight. There were geysers flaring hundreds, even thousands of feet into the dark star-flecked sky while the ground was discolored with minerals and spiky with masses of the same from smoking towers of built up minerals here and there.
Glancing around the edge of the hatch door, he leaned back in. "We broke through a crust. You might lift up and scan the ground for a more solid surface, Hazee," he said.
The ship moved, leveling itself, then rose into the air.
The image froze as Terradive turned to the class. {"Who would like to tell me about Io and why this happened?"}
Hands went up, some human, some not as the three newcomers watched with silent fascination.
Two and a half joors later …
The group was having a momentary break as the three new kids got their stuff together. Their 'taxi' was here as outside in the hallway an aide waited with a box half filled with other new kids. Terradive helped them organize, then followed the three out. Once they were in the box, Terradive held out his servo. "I need the camera, Rain."
She stared at him. :What camera?:
"The one you have in your kit to make videos of me and my class," Terradive said. "You're breaking rules with it and I want it now."
She stared at him, then reluctantly reached into her book bag drawing it out of the box where she kept it. She looked at it, then handed it over. :I wanted to have a record of my experiences and share them with the world:
"You didn't ask anyone's permission first. Your website is being taken down as well for the same reasons. If you want to make videos at Earth2 or among your friends, fine. But not here," Terradive said. He glanced at the aide. "They can go now."
That mech turned to the other two waiting, then the three walked with their loads to the elevator. Entering it, they disappeared.
Terradive watched them, then looked at the tiny camera in his servo. He would keep it and wait to see if Owen Harris made a fuss. He almost hoped he would. :Terradive to Ratchet:
:Ratchet here, Terri:
:I have the camera:
:Thank you. Ironhide will bring it up at the next school board meeting to make sure we have policy on the record. I've had the website taken down and the videos scrubbed. I'm going to have Jazz go into the 'Wayback Machine' and other archives to scrub them, too. Thanks:
:Thank you, Ratchet. Terradive out: He walked back in, then grinned. {"Break over, infants. Get out your journals and let's go to the steps. I want to hear what you have to say,"} he said as the kids jumped up to run for the carpeted stairs nearby and the pile of bean bag chairs piled up just for them.
-0-Earth2
Owen Harris noticed a message incoming from the Autobot City Unified School District. He opened it and read the following:
"Dear Mr. Harris,
"Today, we have discovered that your daughter, Rain Harris brought a camera to school to take videos and images of our school, teachers and classrooms without informing anyone of her intentions. She had hidden the camera in a small school box which she set on her table to ensure access to filming without being detected.
"Her instructor, Terradive was asked to confiscate it which he did. The website where your daughter was posting her videos was requested to cease operation, an action with which they have complied.
"Your daughter did not ask permission of anyone in her videos to do this. Putting images up into circulation in this manner, given that they were taken in our schools which are considered sanctuary areas on world is forbidden. You may not have the camera back until the incident is settled. If your daughter does this again she will be asked to return to school at Earth2. The incident will be reported to the Office of the Primes as per directives in the policy manual about insecurities at our schools.
"We welcome your daughter with open arms and have created an environment where she can learn and do so safely. I would appreciate it if you would discuss this with Rain so that she fully understands what this means and the consequences of continuing down this path. Thank you very much for your cooperation in this matter.
"Yours most sincerely,
"Herling of Iacon
"Director for Public Education, Mars, Cybertron and the Empire
"Autobot City Unified School District
"43295 Main Street, Autobot City Unified School District Tower, Metrotitan, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire, Postal District 490
"Call Main Office: 5486-55477-JCKP7-KLAKM444"
Harris stared at the message, then sat back. "Shit." He stood up, commed off the computer, then walked to the door to leave Earth2 for Youngling Day School. Hopefully.
-0-TBC 7-30-17 edited 8-4-17 3-12-2022