The Diego Diaries: Forward (dd6 89)
-0-Later that afternoon
Ratchet walked into the sub command center in The Fortress with a case of beer in each servo. Setting it on the table, he glanced at the others. "How is it going?"
Blackjack who caught a beer tossed his way grinned at Ratchet. "Better now that the beer is here."
The others paused a moment to catch a beer including Prowl and Prime. Ratchet took a swig of the cold brew, then pulled out a chair to sit. "Have you got an appeal for the Harris case yet?"
Prime nodded. "I got it and sent back a denial. I do not know what they might think about it but we have to set the right tone here. I do not want them to think that we will be pushovers."
Ratchet nodded. "Good," he said as he clinked bottles with Alor.
-0-Owen Harris's office
He sat at his desk rereading the letter sent to him by Endar. The attorney got the a reply from Prime's office, so he called Harris and forwarded it. Shortly, the Beliveaus, his former wife and her current husband, his financial business manager would be here. He would have to show it to her and between them find a way to corral his daughter into the safe lane. He reread the letter once more.
The Office of the Prime of Cybertron
The Fortress, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire
August 11, 2017 (Gregorian Calendar, Earth)
Sol 14, Makarka, 217 (Darian Calendar)
Dear Mr. Harris:
I was forwarded your request for an appeal of the penalty imposed by the members of the Autobot City Unified School District. It is, as you know, your right and that of your daughter to appeal the penalty to my office and give me the opportunity to scrutinize the situation. I have done that, going over the information provided and the sincere letter received from your daughter as well. The School Board has jurisdiction over the students and their conduct, providing guidance and correction according to the offense, the record of the offender and the policies in place to protect everyone involved.
Your daughter, Rain, committed a very great offense with her actions. She violated the trust inherently given to her as a member of our school system, disobeyed the rules as set down to her and to you as part of the agreement for her participation, then pretended to not understand what Mr. Terradive was asking for when he sought the camera. When she did that she demonstrated intent. Her awareness that to do so would be to admit to doing wrong showed that she was fully clear that she was breaking rules and policies.
We are a society recovering from a profound tragedy and our children have been through a lot, more so than you or your daughter might understand. When our children go to their schools, they enter protected and sacred space. Our families know that their children will be safe and nurtured. Education is very important to us. We are an advanced technological civilization for whom access to learning was not always available to everyone. Here, we are working to rectify a lot of things and help our children recover from war, violence, deprivation, starvation, wounds both physical and emotional as well as endless wandering without safety. Their insecurities are our focus. Their progress and recovery is paramount to our efforts here. Your daughter cannot come into that and create this kind of disruption without it having a bigger effect on everyone else than you seem to understand.
The penalty could have been thirty days in detention. Three days is a merciful but pointed determination for the offense caused. If your daughter persists she will be removed from our schools. It is your responsibility as a parent to offer your daughter guidance and instruction on the correct path forward. She is welcome in our schools as long as she offers respect, courtesy, obedience to the rules, and a desire to be part of the team. If not, then perhaps another placement is in order.
Thank you for your communications but I am letting the penalty stand. I hope that this is the beginning of a clearer understanding of what we require and expect and that your daughter goes on to excel at Youngling Day School. That is the wish and hope we all share for your children and our own.
Yours truly,
Optimus of Iacon
The Prime of Cybertron, the Primal Colony of Mars and the Empire of the Autobots
The Fortress, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire
1 Fortress Road, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Postal Code 1
Directory number for office: 1245-GDK224-KEUXI11137 extension 3
He printed it off for his former wife and his daughter to see, then rose to walk around the facility. It would be a bit longer but they were due with the next ship bringing visitors to the Resort. There would be no short trips through a bridge for them short of an emergency and he knew this didn't constitute that. He had just joined the Prime's shit list. With a grim expression, he walked out to wander around the farm and pet the animals. It was a nice way to decompress.
-0-At the planning table
They sat around the huge center console, the one with all the stations gathered so that those who worked here could converse across from each other much more easily. Imagine a huge bar filled with equipment forming a big circle with the command table in the middle. They were going over the overture stage of contact. They had to know who this was to know which of several plans they had constructed would be The One. Right now, they were forming a message to send by Prime to get the gist of what was actually happening. It would be sent from the command ship of the armada that they were going to take out the following day. Right now, it was being developed as Prowl wrote up the orders to send out.
"This is fragged," Alor said. "I'm glad that my genitors are here to manage Scout."
Ratchet nodded. "Good thing we have a genitor's orn in the calendar to pay them back. What's the word on the Performing Arts Center, by the way?"
"It's in preliminary inspection status. The acoustics and other considerations take a lot of time to work out and they want to make sure everything meets standards. The lighting and other rigging is complex. They're both in their offices so they can handle the baby. We already set up a crib and play corner in Ada's office. He's delighted to have Scout. He's going to show him everything. Expect another musician," Alor said with a grin.
"The first, you mean," Raptor said smirking at Ironhide.
"Little mech can sing," Alor said proudly. "He just doesn't want to."
"You can sing?" Springer asked Ironhide with a grin.
He glanced at everyone with a slight frown. "You don't think I can?"
"I don't think I've ever heard you sing, Ironhide, when you were serious," Ratchet said. "Sing something. Sing the first verse of the Anthem of the Primes."
"I'm not singing for you slaggers. I save that for Prowler and the kids. We used to take the trains and sing all the way around the colony," Ironhide said, then he frowned. "THAT IS, WE DID BEFORE OLD TIGHT AFT HERE STOLE THEM AWAY!"
"Awww." -consensus opinion.
"Slaggers." -Ironhide's cantankerous opinion.
Prime grinned at him. "Boo-hoo," he said to great applause. Glancing at Prowl, he leaned forward on his elbows. "What's the status on Cybertron?"
"Its in hand," Prowl replied as he consulted that fat sector of his datapad. "The district commanders have things under control. There may be new relics found," he said glancing at Prime. "Do you want to hold them until we get back or have Turbine get them?"
Prime thought a moment, then nodded. "I forgot. A Maker can handle them. Have him go at his discretion. If he thinks I'm needed to get them, have him secure the area until we return or I have a moment."
Prowl nodded, then glanced at Raptor. "Will you tell him or should I send a message?"
"I'll let him know, Prowl," Raptor said as he glanced at Prime. "Then I assume that he won't be coming along."
"Not if they are finding things related to the Primes," Optimus said. "We must do our best." Prime looked at Perceptor. "What is the process and progress of the antidote for the alien beast's acidic slime?"
Perceptor shifted uneasily. "That is a process indeed, Prime."
"This species is very old, Prime, and unlike any organic mechanism I've run across," Wheeljack said. "The acidic stuff is a very strange protein and resists us. I'm even thinking that this is a cross dimensional species. I think it must have originated in another dimension and came here via whatever means it could find. I think it travels like a parasite or like rats on ships on Earth. They ride from place to place, colonizing themselves and reproducing through a female individual rather like bees on Earth. A queen spits them out, they find a host, cannibalize it, then emerge ready to serve the hive and obey their queen even up to death's door. Their biology is different than anything I've seen and it has its own weird chemistry. They're very nearly indestructible and just about a perfect mechanism. We're still working on it but we do have topical treatments for the burning. However, its not perfect. Don't let them bite you and don't let their blood or saliva splatter you. It's all acidic to us. Maybe where they come from it isn't but to us, consider it corrosive as slag."
Prime nodded. "Please update the troops," he said. "I do not like to give this kind of order but shoot them on sight. Maybe if that happens they will fall back and avoid us."
At the door, a noise drew their attention. Youngling mechs were holding stacks of pizza boxes and more beer. "Come in, infants. Just in time," Ratchet said with a grin. They did and put down the food and drinks, bantered a moment as they marveled at the room with its supersonic high tech everywhere, then left dazzled. It took a moment for everyone to get food and another drink.
"This is good. Thanks, Ada," Arcee said with a grin as she sat with pizza and another beer.
"It's what I do. With these servos," Ratchet said holding up his two big red hands, "these holy servos..." That was as far as he got. "Fraggers."
Huge laughter.
"What's the word on the conferences you had?" Elita asked. "How is Hero doing?"
"She's so advanced they want to put her into Youngling Day," Raptor said.
The femmes paused their food and drink a moment. "That's not good. Is it?" Chromia asked.
"Not to me. LITTLE FEMME IS A BABY! SHE NEEDS HER DOLLIES AND NAPS!" Ironhide said.
"Big femme," Ratchet said with a grin. "Get this. They think Praxus is ready for Pioneer School too."
It was dead silent a moment. Then Hercy shifted uneasily in his chair. "That's the smart school where Hero goes, right?"
Ratchet nodded.
"He's kinda small yet," 'Uncle' Hercy said doubtfully as 'Uncle' Kup nodded in agreement.
"THAT'S WHAT I SAY! HE'S SMALL!" Ironhide offered.
Ratchet laughed. "BIG FEMME!"
They laughed loudly, then Chromia glanced at Hard Drive. "Pax isn't going to big kid school yet, is he? He's still a toddler."
"That's our conclusion. We just have to watch and make sure he's stimulated," Hard Drive said as the others nodded.
"What about Orion and Prowler?" Moonracer asked. "What about Sunspot and the three little mechs? I heard we can come to those too."
"We can. We just have to have a moment. A MOMENT WHEN SOME FRAGGER DOESN'T COME ALONG AND FRAG THINGS UP!" Ratchet opined.
"I'll drink to that," Raptor said with a chuckle. They all did. Drink, that is.
-0-TBC 8-11-17 edited 8-13-17
NOTES:
For a good time, google martian Darian calendar converter. The date for this day, Saturday, August 12, 2017 on Mars according to this calendar which scientists like is Sol 14, (The day'd number and name-they are called sols on Mars),
Makarka is the name of the month. (The names of the months are taken from constellations)
They are: Vrishika, Scorpius, Tula, Libra, Kanya, (Which are the winter months)
Virgo, Simha, Leo, Karka, Cancer, Mithuna, (Which are the autumn months)
Gemini, Rishabha, Taurus, Mesha, Aries, Mina, (Which are the summer months)
Pisces, Kumbha, Aquarius, Makara, Carpricornus, and Dhanus and Sagittarius (Which are the spring months)
217 is the number of the year on their calendar.
The winter season is the dust storm season. Aphelion which is the period where Mars is farthest from the sun occurs during Kumbha (February and March, during spring) while Perihelion is when Mars is closest occurs during Simha (September during autumn).
Totally interesting to me. :D:D:D
Because I'm nuts. :D:D:D
Leoness: I hear you on the kid. :D Go to snapchat and search for rich kids. You will find her type there.