The Diego Diaries: Home Again, Jiggity Jig (dd6 114) needs a whacking good edit. :D:D:D
-0-On the ground again
There were crowds watching as the ships came down through the atmosphere to land one after the other on the long landing runways. They rolled into their tie downs, some of them, while others lined up to be off loaded, serviced to some degree, then sent onward to the staging area where they would wait for reuse. The military airfield was filling up with ships landing, crews walking off and the odd civilian being carried or led off by someone. Crowds watched, cheered and greeted friends and family. There were children among them though it was getting onward toward evening here. News crews were filming, talking to those walking back to their lives after deployment and waiting for anyone of rank to get close enough.
Humans had gathered again to watch the return, to feel the elation and see the damage that was rumored to have occurred to some. A few ships earlier had come in with battle damage and were towed to the hangars nearby for examination before being sent to Roadie's facility for repair. The place was crowded with mechs and the odd femme heading this way and that. The behemoth family of Omega were off loading and when cleared, they transformed to tower over everyone once more. Rumor had it that dreads had come but it would be difficult to know since their massive formats were holding the line in space somewhere, keeping the pirates and renegade Decepticons at bay. If they had gone, they were now back on station.
It was noisy, colorful, busy, and highly dangerous for humans to be wandering around so they stood in the viewing platform with their cameras, smart phones and speculation. No one from Earth 1, Earth2 or the Consulate was there but a number of scientists from Sciences were as well as family and soldiers. The Hu-An might have been there to greet everyone home but they would be hard to see in the mobs. It was a riot of energy and relief playing out in the most coordinated fashion before them.
In the distance, the familiar forms of Ironhide and his elders could be seen walking toward The City. Standing nearby, commenting on the goings-on, Turbine, Alor and Delphi waited. Behind Ironhide and his elders, the figure of Ratchet and his mentor kid could be seen. The major staff was scattered over the area, walking toward the Hangar District, The Fortress or town itself as they went their separate ways. Prowl and Prime were heading with Jazz and Mirage for The Fortress. Wheeljack and Perceptor were seen walking with a number of mechs the humans didn't know as they made their way toward The Fortress.
Soldiers by the dozens, Springer and Company included walked toward The City with laughter and grins. Apparently, things had gone well. Gavin Pritchard, head of security for the Resort watched them, then tuned in, using the box's special communication features to reach them. "Hey, Springer. How did it go?" he asked Springer.
A number of mechs glanced his way, then deflected their trajectory toward the humans. Reaching the box, Springer knelt down bringing his handsome face closer to the box. "What's up, tiny people?" he asked. He looked like slag, pockmarked and grimy.
"What the hell happened to you?" Judy Witwicky asked as she walked to Pritchard to stand beside him. "You look like you went through a grinder."
"I don't know what you mean," Springer deadpanned. "I think I look as handsome as ever." HUGE laughter met that as he smirked at the humans. "Gerbils. I think I agree with Ada on that score."
"I'm assuming you won," Michio Yamaha asked with a grin.
"You had doubts?" Roadbuster asked. He didn't ask with humor to be droll. He asked with a slight sense of offense. His sense of humor was a delicate thing.
"No," Yamaha said. He knew Roadie and filled in the gap swiftly. "Humor."
"Oh," Roadie said with a straight face.
HUGE laughter.
"We blew up the settlements. Two of them completely and one selectively. They'll have to do a lot of repair to make things work out for them," Springer said as he stood up. They all looked down at the humans, a forest of gigantic individuals dwarfing the humans on a scale that film and television could never convey. "Boom went the dynamite."
HUGE laughter. Drift grinned at Springer. "You've been on youtube again."
"Maybe," Springer said with a grin. He looked down at the humans. "I need a long hot shower, a detailer and a good dinner. See ya, humans."
They bid each other adieu, then the big bots trudged onward. Beyond them, Ironhide's family reached Delphi, Alor and Turbine. Hugs and slag were traded, then Partition met the rest and had a moment of conversation. Judy Witwicky turned to the others. "That kid was shunned by the congregation at the last caste court. He was a major pain in the ass but Ratchet took him and his parents on. He agreed to vouch for them and mentor the group. I think this kid is working out but he was a major asshole before he began to change."
The others nodded, then watched the group as they gathered together, walking onward into The City. They disappeared into the crowd.
-0-Home
The bedlam of the moment was over as the shorties greeted their family gods returned from delivering the pain. Dinner had been ordered and delivered when they touched down so a line formed to get dinner buffet style. Ratchet who was holding Hero glanced around, then noted Partition standing in line. He grinned at the kid who grinned slightly back. He was still uncertain about things but Ratchet didn't care. Being uncertain was good. He would have to ask permissions and check his perceptions if he was. That was a good thing. Ratchet walked over to stand next to him. "Soldiering makes a mech hungry."
Partition nodded. "I think so."
"Are you going to call your genitors and tell them you're alright? It's part of the soldier code, keeping families in the loop so they don't worry," Ratchet said as Hero nodded in agreement.
Partition grinned at her, then looked at Ratchet with a serious expression. "I … they don't support this. I don't want to fight with them."
"Do it anyway," Ratchet said. "They might think you're still in harms way and that's no way to treat those you love and who love you. What they do, they do from love," Ratchet said.
Partition nodded, then moved forward. With Turbine ladling 'soldier grub' onto his plate, Partition listened to each word like it was holy writ. The tattoos of the mechs in the room were amazing and the markings of rank stupefying. He was in the center of his dream right now and his attention was undivided. The door opened at that moment as Springer, Hercy, Drift, Kup, half the femmes in the family, and Maelstrom walked in. Guff was given and received, then they grabbed plates and the odd sparkling to get food.
Partition walked to a chair to sit next to Blackjack, his optics watching everyone in the room. It felt like love here, like acceptance and confidence. It felt like high levels of achievement, experience, humor, and friendship. He felt cocooned in the worldliness of the group around him and it felt so affirming and true, real even, that he wondered how he lived until now. This had been so unexpected and strong that he felt overwhelmed a moment.
"You alright, infant?" Blackjack asked.
He looked at the big mech with the stern face and warm optics. "Yes, Appa."
"Eat up. That's soldier grub. There's pie and cake afterward and beer. A soldier has to have a good beer."
"Yes, Appa," Partition said as he began to eat. He didn't realize until the first bite how famished he was.
All around him, the family watched him out of the corner of their optics and the voodoo queen standing in line with Hero. Ratchet had somehow brought something bright and shiny out of the dark tar pits of this mech's entitled spark. He actually sort of fit the group now and with the careful and enlightened mentoring of those sitting around him, they seemed to think he would be alright.
It was magic.
"What about the meeting, the debrief? Tomorrow?" Turbine asked.
"I'll ask," Ratchet said as he walked to Raptor and delivered Hero along with her plate to her great grandpa. He smiled and took her with delight, kissing her cheek as he sat her on his lap. She took her infant plate with great joy, glancing up at Appa Raptor with a giant smile. He smiled back, kissed the top of her helm, then took a swig of beer. "Perfection. I live in perfection.
Everyone agreed including Partition who nodded.
Ratchet grinned, then called his best alibi. :Prowler:
:What?:
:When's the debrief?:
:Tomorrow. 1000 on the TMC:
:Got it. Ratchet out: He turned to the group. "1000 hours. You'll have to postpone going to your regular posts. Prowl does love to hear himself talk."
HUGE laughter greeted that obvious lie as Ratchet filled his plate. He sat down next to Maelstrom who was filling his face with great abandon. "Chromia, don't you feed this mech?"
He paused a moment, then glanced at Chromia who smirked at both of them. "You insinuate that I cook?"
HUGE laughter.
"Our Thanksgiving cook off is coming. I expect you to do something awesome. Someone has to defeat Hercy and Kup," Ratchet said.
Everyone looked at the two geezers who grinned back. "You have to be cheating," Blackjack said. "If you didn't film it, I would swear you were cheating."
"Appa?"
Everyone glanced downward at Praxus who was sitting in Ironhide's lap eating off his father's plate. He smiled gigantically as his gray chevron flared with pleasure at the attention. He, after all, was just a baby. "What, infant?" Blackjack asked.
"Swearing is bad. Cheating is bad. Mrs. Laret says so," he said sweetly. Then he smiled.
Blackjack who had to take a moment to wade around the ocean of love that rose in his spark at that moment looked at his grandson. "Do I sit in the corner?"
Praxus thought about it a moment, then smiled. "No, Appa. You're good."
A moment of 'AWWW! HE'S SO CUTE!' was had, then things picked up again.
"So ….," Ratchet began. "Who's going to give us new grandchildren?" he asked with a big smile.
It was instructive how silent the room got.
Ratchet grinned. "Slaggers."
The room conversations picked up again. Partition watched the fun with a hunger inside that he had never felt before. This place was warmth, family, history, stories, genuine love for one another, zero judgment, good but not demanding expectations, kids, a big dog that sat in front of him and gave him pleading optics because Spot could read a weak link anywhere, and a sense of happiness that he was starving for. Staring at Spot, he held out his plate for reasons that he would never understand until the end of time.
Spot who was surprised at his bounty nearly climbed all over Partition to 'help him eat'. Orion who was standing nearby kibitzing food from Ratchet turned to Spot. "SPOT! NO!"
Spot who had eaten everything edible turned to Orion. He climbed down, then walked to the infant. He licked Orion's face and nearly capsized the baby. He staggered, then looked at Spot. He looked at the others, then smiled his best Pac-Man smile. "ADA! HE KIPPED ME!"
The entire room burst into laughter at the two. Orion who was blitzed by the applause smiled, then hugged Spot around the neck. Spot noting that there was no food to be had here walked onward toward another child and/or sucker carrying Orion with him. Orion's hysterical laughter filled the room as Spot stopped before Hero.
Delphi rescued him, then set him on his lap. "Sit with me, Orion. I need a good mech to help me eat my dinner," he said.
"AMMA! I HELPEDED YOU!" Then he opened his mouth like a baby bird with the twinklingest blue optics ever. Delphi obliged him with a laugh.
Partition on the other servo watched the whole thing entranced.
-0-TBC 8-31-17 edited 9-1-17 Thank you, Miss Kitty, for finding the plot hole. You da best. :D