The Diego Diaries: PARTAY! (dd6 229)
-0-Here and there
"Over there."
Ironhide and Blackjack hoisted the table and put it end-to-end with the one already there. They had denuded Blackjack's house for chairs and couches. There were places to sit for a cast of thousands as every space along the wall featured a chair or couch. Two couches from Amma Docker's house filled the last two places. Small folding tables were featured in the kitchen for the spread that was coming. A stack of beer from the last party stood beside the food cupboard ready to be augmented by the slaggers who figured beer and high grade constituted a food group.
Ratchet checked the prime rib. It was doing beautifully and there would be medium rare and burnt ends for everyone. He looked at the two who set chairs around the table. "There," Ironhide said. "The kids are set."
"We're going to be using the hallway, slaggers," Ratchet said. "Maybe Christmas Surprise Eve should be held in a party room next time."
"And ruin the intimacy?" Blackjack said with a grin. "Frag that."
"Where's Alie? Is he back yet?" Ratchet asked as he walked to the cupboard to pull out a portion of the buns that were stashed all over the place including some in the berth room closet that had somehow been pilfered by a certain big black mech.
"He's still there. He has to triangulate on the Tall White ship heading back home. Those slaggers need to up their tech. It takes months to reach there from here," Blackjack said.
-0-Las Vegas
Alor stood before the main screen watching as the white light of a White alien ship beeped slowly across the interminable darkness of space. Laying in his arms with a smile as she chewed on her fist, Halo watched her amma as he concentrated on the data. "They are nearly at the site of the destroyed way station," Alor said. "We can't allow them to see the rift. They have to get past and be on their way."
"Do you want to ask Tennyson about that? He had a few ideas," Torbo, Alie's second-in-command replied.
"Put me through, Toby," Alor said with a nod.
Torbo aka Toby worked the panel, then Tennyson's handsome face appeared. "Hello, Alie," he said with a grin.
"Hi, Ten. How's it going out there?" Allie asked.
"All is quiet thus far, Alor," he replied in his amused and deeply masculine voice. "The barrier effort is holding. I have plans to skirt this area for the ship you're tracking. I can do a pinpoint bridge that's so fast he won't feel it. It won't trigger his ship to wake him from stasis and put him on his way to his people. I'm monitoring the planet that was destroyed. Their people are there taking in the enormity. When he arrives, they will certainly pick him up and we can figure out what comes next."
"That's great, Tennyson. I worried what he would do if he reached you and saw how it was. Did you contact Prime?" Alie asked.
"I did," he said. "He asked me to wait until you were ready to call it."
"I do," Alor said. "It's at your discretion, Tennyson."
"Very well," the big mech said with a grin.
"What are you doing for Christmas Surprise Eve and Day?" Alor asked. "Is Paribolus going? I heard everyone was."
"There's a huge party at Ty's home," he said with a nod. "We're going out to watch the Santa Primes, especially at Intermediate Day because of the infants attending there, then party until we drop. Pari is coming."
"Will the apartment hold all of you?" Alor asked with a laugh.
"We can lighten our frames through the pretender process and subspace. We can also make ourselves smaller through the same process," Tennyson said. "Don't tell anyone that. It makes us feel good to be taller than everyone else."
Alor laughed. "Mum's the word. Have a great party and I hope to see you around. Blackjack got pressed into being a Santa Prime and I'm an elf."
Tennyson laughed loudly. "I can see that. Have a great party, Alie. I'll message you when he passes through."
"Thanks, Tennyson. You, too," Alor said as the screen reverted back to telemetry. He turned to the others. "Has the schedule been set for you to be off the next three orns?"
Torbo nodded. "We're leaving shortly. Only one of us on station for two joors at a time, then off the rest of it."
"Good," Alie said as he walked back to the table to sit. He would do so with a smiling Halo laying in his arms.
-0-Lucien and Laslo
Laslo spruced up the apartment as he waited for 1145 hours on the TMC. They were going to go to Ratchet's house for Christmas Surprise dinner and had a bunch of food to take with them. Partition, Morius, Inweld, and Lucien were watching a game nearby as Laslo made work for himself to burn off his nervous energy. When the time came, he turned to them. "Time to go to the party," he said.
Partition, Morius and Inweld rose to walk to the table to get the boxes. Lancer was with the femmes and would meet them at her ada's house. The big mechs turned to their father. He stared at them without expression.
"Are you coming, too?" Laslo asked as he waffled slightly. Going anyway without Lucien would be a new and very big step for him out of the prison of his former caste. Lucien shook his helm. Laslo gathered himself, then turned to his sons. "Then have a good afternoon. We're going." With that and a quivering spark, he walked to the door trailed by his solemn-faced sons and left.
-0-Burris and Anders
They gathered together, the entire family. There was drinks and food to carry. Anders had gotten a small gift, something that was good manners among his caste to give to Ratchet and Ironhide for the invite. Some habits shouldn't die. Cargo and Keystock sat on the couch watching a game on the monitor. Bezel and Lon who were here to help Anders and Burris turned to them. "Time to go," Bezel said.
Cargo glanced at him. "We aren't ordered to go so we aren't going."
Anders frowned at them, Burris frowned because Anders was frowning, then he turned to Anders. "We should go, Andi. They will expect us."
"Too bad we didn't raise you with better manners, Cargo and Keystock," Anders said crossly. Then with Bezel, Lon and Burris in tow, they walked to the door and left.
-0-Edict and Hobbes
Hobbes stood by the door holding a box with dishes inside. Edict logged off the monitor from a conversation with Bron-E who was going to be coming shortly with her pre-bond, Borealis, a primary school teacher at Sparkling Day. Rade-R and Riff were waiting with Hobbes for him to finish. "Hurry up, Ada. You're going to make us late."
Edict turned to them, then paused a moment to smile. "You're the best mechs that ever lived. I love you so. Merry Christmas Surprise," he said, then a slight darkness informed his handsome features. "The only thing better would be for Sunee to be here."
"We're going to see him first, Ada. He's getting better," Riff said as the others nodded.
"I hope so," Edict said as he began to rally. "I want all my family around me. I want so much for all of us to be happy. Burris, its all I want."
"Then you shall have it, Edict," Burris said, though he was still unclear how that would happen given his own continuing confusion. The only thing clear in his head was his need for Edict's happiness.
Edict grinned. "Let's go have fun, then." With that, they all went through the door and it closed silently behind them.
-0-On a train heading to The City
Raptor, Turbine, Delphi, Hard Drive, Springer, Drift, Hercy, Kup, Sandstorm, Twin Twist, Willa and her new bond, Artur, Burnoff, Default, Copperton, Turquoise, First Aid, Bumblebee, Trailbreaker, Hound with both of their children in arms, Terradive, Roto, Herling with Diesel, Nova with Flynn, Laret, Neo with Fifi, Breakdown and Knockout holding a baby carrier with a singing Breakout in it, Ultra Magnus and Arcee, Lancer heading there to meet up with Partition who was helping his ada and atar, Greenlight, Moonracer, Chromia with a totally content Maelstrom who was holding a pie (made by Rampage's talented team), the twins and Bluestreak with kids in arms who had joined up at Tyger Pax, Paragon and Arrow with their infants, Smokescreen, Devcon, Moda, Tress and a slightly angsty Smokey who were coming for a while for the fun but would stay until the end for the lulz (pies in hand), Jazz and Mirage, Roadbuster, Wheeljack, Perceptor with Resolve, Aunt Lissie, and two cars full behind them that included Elita and Jetta were on their merry way to Ratchet and Ironhide's house with food, drinks and good cheer. It was a good thing that the hallway outside would be handy, though it would surprise everyone how many their apartment could hold without crowding. They would also open up the apartments of Alie and 'Jack, the ammas and appas as well as Ravel and Tie. They would sit and eat, drink and be merry. What would surprise everyone when it was over was how neat and policed up the extra spaces would be.
Hot Rod would show up with Blurr as well as Nitro and family shortly after everyone arrived. It would take a while for the two, Smokey and Hot Rod to notice each other. Then it would be the biggest entertainment of the crowd gathered to surreptitiously watch the two angst around and try to make the other jealous.
Dinner and a floor show. It couldn't be beat.
-0-Prowl et al
He looked at his turkeys which were perfection as usual. Having downloaded the menu into his processor and noted to everyone out there what they had committed to bring, it was going to be great. Half the menu was Cybertronian, half human. Turkey, ham and prime rib would be the main human-style entrees. A lot had committed and he was holding them to it. There would be a pile of Cybertronian dishes, sides and treats. YAY! There would be buns galore, mashed potatoes and gravy as per Primal orders, some salads, a lot of veggie style things and a huge sheet cake with a Santa Prime image on it. Devcon was bringing his pies, Hercy had made a huge Celebration cake sheet cake thing and there were lots of different cookies, candy and the like.
The beer, wine and hard stuff wouldn't be a problem. They were 'in the army now, not behind the plow'.
His prim upbringing put an end to the next two lines of the song as he checked a number of things, then commed The Loon.
:WHAT!?: -Ratchet
:When do I bring my masterpieces, Loon?:
:Anytime, Whiner. I'll leave it up to you when to bring the food you made:
:HA-HA, Loon. On our way: Prowl said with a grin. He looked at Miler, Kes, Tagg, and Venture who were waiting for the word. "We are go to Loony Tunes Land."
Prime who was standing nearby with Sojourner and Solus in his arms laughed. "Autobots, roll out!" he said as they guffawed and prepared to load up a lot of food, kids and cats.
-0-At the House-e-enda
Bos, Co-D and Reflector ran into the house squeeing with delight as behind them, the families they actually belonged to entered as well. It was bedlam a moment as everyone greeted each other, handed off food and drink, then watched the kids dance around hugging each other. Then the door began to open in earnest and admit friends, food, drinks, total strangers, and a kid with a tiny horse therapy companion who was a HIT with a capita IT for Spot and the cats. It wouldn't be the last one. Between a bug, a mouse, several cats, a lot of dogs of all size and kind, a bird, and a fat black and white miniature cow, it would hit home to the adults how hard life had been for the children. The animals hung out with their charges at first, then wandered to the window to lay down on Spot's bed. More were added as one-by-one they gathered to hang out together. Many were the snaps made from that.
It was then that Cliffjumper, Buzzie who was radiant and sweet, Leader 1, Lumi, his bond, their three kids and the aft helm twins, Mud Flap and Skids, Rainmaker and his entire family, Starscream and his along with the Seekerkin Council of Elders arrived. It was joyous noel for a moment, then everyone settled to watch the influx of the partiers. It was like watching the evacuation of a great sinking ocean liner in reverse. Rainmaker sitting next to Ironhide would have an amusing commentary going as the door kept opening and folks kept arriving. "The floor show is without parallel," he said as Scout and Trooper entered with Flint and his beau.
"I agree," Ironhide said with a grin. "Old mech likes cozy get togethers."
Rainmaker laughed loudly as the door opened again and the crowd from the train began to arrive in earnest. It was evenly matched, the problem of putting food and drink somewhere along with bodies. As that was happening, Optimus Prime, Messiah of The People stood outside with his fathers, all three of them holding completely cooked turkeys while Venture, Miler and Prowl held the mashed potatoes and gravy. It would take a while to get inside but they would do it.
Eventually.
-0-TBC 12-15-17 :D:D:D edited 1-7-18
NOTES:
First, Merry Christmas for those who celebrate it. Happy Holidays and Happy Jolly Daze to those who don't. "D"D"D – My new blotto emoji. :D
Secondly, the new gotv series, Transformers: Titans Return is amazing. You get to see combiners form and you get to see a major city format, Fortress Maximus, not only transform but fly. If you wanted to see an image of the big frames flying in root mode, that is the series to watch. Beautiful. Michael Dorn who is Worf on Star Trek voices him. Perceptor who is ADORABLE and funny in this incarnation is voiced by Will Weaton, who was Wesley Crusher and who grew up to be one really fine young man. :D