The Diego Diaries: Onward Ho (dd6 243)

-0- Courthouse

Barron and his staff sat together organizing their presentations for the Primal Hearing that would sort out the crimes of the Functionalist Council and the 22 others with them that had been taken into custody some time before. The data was in and they were preparing the cases against the Council as the main felons and their assistants as secondary targets.

The situation had cooled off a great deal, so it was time to do their jobs and see about getting the case judged. It would be a Primal hearing in a closed courtroom. Given the sensitive nature of the charges, it was considered helpful for the accused not to sit in a hostile room filled with those who wanted them dead.

"What do you think, Barron?" Cashel asked, a mech who was his clerk. "Do you really think there's a chance for them in this hearing?"

"Given that Prime will do it in conjunction with the Matrix, I think it can happen. Good for them that Prime is the leader here. The others would have executed them," Barren said. "We cannot go back to those times."

"What can Prime do with them?" Cashel asked as two other aides walked over with more data and the rules of law book as it applied to Primal Hearings.

"We have latitude but I think they've passed the stage of rehabilitation. I'm going to outline the kind of options open including stasis punishments," Barron said. "Their murder is so vast that I think they belong in the vault with Shockwave and the others."

"I'm glad I'm not making the decision," Cashel said as they worked onward on the case.

-0-At the dojo

Smokey sat on the couch near the back wall relaxing with his peds up. Sitting at the other end, Hot Rod was laughing over a joke with someone else. Hercy and Kup who were hanging out for lunch when someone brought the usual pile of junk food that arrived about this time of the orn watched the two ignore each other with amusement. Both were unclear on how they ended up at odds but the show was entertaining. It was now over a week since Smokey had opened himself up to a surprised Hot Rod and it didn't look like they were going to resolve anything anytime too soon.

Springer and Drift walked in followed by the twins, all of them off for the orn. They walked across the room and settled down on the couches. Grinning at Hot Rod, Sunstreaker nudged him. "Move over, fat aft."

"Who are you calling fat?" Roddy asked as he shifted.

"Who do you think?" Springer asked. They settled. "The game coming up Wednesday night is going to be Capital City and someone else. A kid named Pulley at the Intermediate School is going to show up at our corridor and I want him to have a good time. He's a bit of a high caste aft who's really making headway, so let's show him how the other half live."

"He's that kid who you told to come around during Santa Priming, right?" Drift asked.

Springer nodded. "He seemed interested. I told him he could hang out."

"You've been hanging out with Ratchet too much," Hercy said with a grin. "Don't tell me you're taking up projects, too?"

"HA! This is small stuff compared to the afts he's taken on," Springer said. "I'd have planted Keystock and Lucien by now. Cargo doesn't seem as bad as the two."

"Partition has shaped up. I hear he lives with Lancer now," Kup said.

Springer nodded. "Those two have a thing going. He's doing a good job as a medic at the 42nd. He's had a few call outs and handled them well. Who knew?"

Everyone agreed. "What do you think about the generals dragging those goofballs around. I think Keystock hasn't looked in the backpack yet," Sandstorm said with a grin.

"What's in the backpack?" Smokey asked.

"Steel bars, I think," Sandy replied. "I know its nothing but dead weight."

"Smokey grinned. "Dead weight. That's hilarious," he said as he glanced directly at Hot Rod.

That bot smirked, then sat back, putting his peds onto the coffee table. "Yeah, there's nothing like dead weight to tote around. Fortunately, I don't have that problem."

The bots who were watching the subtext grinned, then glanced at Smokey who was looking at Hot Rod with a cross expression. "Yeah?" the kid replied.

They looked at Hot Rod. "Yeah," Roddy said. "There's nothing worse."

"I have to agree," Smokey said as everyone glanced at him. "Nothing like carrying someone's fat aft around. It isn't like there aren't others out there."

"Other what?" Sandstorm said to be ornery. "Backpacks?"

"Yeah," Smokey said as he sat up with a smug expression on his face. "There's plenty of backpacks out there." He stood up and stretched, showing off his long lean lines and handsome well made body. "I think I'll go find one now."

"Go ahead," Roddy said with a slight frown. "No one's stopping you."

"That's right," Smokey said as he started for the door. "NO ONE IS!" He walked to the door and left.

Hot Rod watched him go with a slight frown, then glanced at the others. "WHAT!?" he asked.

"Nothing." -everyone with a grin

Fortunately, junk food and beer had just arrived.

-0-At a club in Iacon for kids

They sat around a table playing cards. They had learned poker and it was a thing in their club. They weren't allowed to bet much so they used Oreos. "What do you think about Lancer and Partition?" Lumi asked as he anted out.

"I think they're nice," Santee said as he matched the pot.

"Do you and Lumi get weird looks anymore?" Quasar asked Fireball.

That youngster glanced at his brother, then shook his helm. "Not really. I don't care anyway." He glanced at Lumi who grinned at him. "I like you and they can get over it."

Everyone grinned at the youngsters who smirked back. Lumi glanced at Quadrus. "Did you see Smokey and Hot Rod? I don't think they're together anymore."

"Why?" Saber asked with surprise.

"They weren't sitting together and I think that Hot Rod was trying to make him jealous," Saber said. "He was acting like he didn't know Smokey at Christmas Surprise dinner."

"Wow. I thought those two would bond," Lumi said.

"I think Lancer and Partition will," Genesis said with a grin. "That is, if Atar allows it. I don't know that he wants Lucien in the family."

"Who does?" Quadrus asked with a grin.

:Ratchet to the big kids:

:Here, Ada: -the big kids

:Dinner time. Better head for the barn:

:On our way!: -the big kids

They gathered their Oreos, stowed them in subspace for later, then walked toward the door to begin the trek homeward. It would take a while in the early evening rush.

-0-Earlier that day

"Keep up, infant," Raptor said as he walked through the broken ground and trash that occupied this part of the airport at Micro Sims, a huge former aircraft manufacturer outside the industrial city of Protihex. It had been bombed and was pitted but this would be where they would build an energy station to power this part of the district.

'Infant' was hulking along with a heavy backpack and a small white and black cow in his arms. The look of stoicism and contained fury on Keystock's face was admirable. He wasn't going to give Raptor one inch of satisfaction about what was happening. The cow sat placidly in Keystock's arms, a small and surprisingly calm figure. They wove their way to the big hangars nearby, half of which were rebuilt. They were easy, straight sides and a roof. What was inside was the best part. He was here to inaugurate a generation system that would supply light and power to an area of 672 square miles. It would revolutionize the housing and manufacturing needs of several million individuals.

They reached the warehouse, greeted the local team and walked to a number of massive generators which were housed inside. They were fed by energon which was smelted on site, Class A so that it would require only small amounts for maximum benefit. Raptor listened to the locals proudly explain their set up, then he clapped them on the back. "This is a slagging fine effort. My congratulations to everyone involved. When does it go online?" he asked.

The local manager grinned. "We were waiting for you to start it up."

Raptor grinned, then noticed a small femme standing nearby looking at the cow, one who was a child and who was peering at him from behind someone. "Who's that little spark breaker?"

Everyone turned to her and she ducked behind the mech in front of her. They laughed, then the mech picked her up. "This is my daughter, Thera."

"Infant, you push the button," Raptor said.

She looked at him, the button and her father who held her. He nodded, then stepped closer. She reached out tentatively, then pushed it. It burst into life, surprisingly quietly, then the entire room burst into light. It was bright and felt 'normal' to those who had made due on smaller generators and lesser illumination. Cheers and clapping went up.

Raptor grinned. "Night is going to be less scary around here now. Well done," he said. They chatted a while, had pictures taken, then walked back out through the hellscape that would be on the list of things to do. Until they needed that patch, they would let it lie. Right now, they were going to expand the smelting pits that were here and start making specialized steel. It would be a huge boost to the programs of building underway on world.

Victory.

-0-At an office in another district

Cargo input information in the computer in the corner of Hard Drive's big office at the main depot where he had his HQ. It was drudge work and he wondered for the zillionth time if this was the point. He was weary of the morning spent clambering over masses of rubble to look at subterranean infrastructure as they regenerated the planet for reconstruction above ground. It was dank, dangerous and tedious. He was also reminded by Hard Drive that he didn't actually have to be be part of the actual mucking out so he should just straighten up and fly right.

It irritated him to see the smirks on the faces of Hard Drive's entourage when the General would chastise him with his soft voice and piercing optics.

This afternoon, they were in the office and he had mountains of data to input. He was aware of the fact that they could slot the information directly in but Hard Drive had said he wanted opinions about it. That could only happen if he, Cargo knew the data and the only way that could happen according to Hard Drive was to input it. Hard Drive, himself, sat nearby at his desk going through the administration of the district with mechs coming and going.

Outside, the skies had decided to open up and the steady drizzle of rain down the panes of the windows nearby, the gun metal gray of the skies overhead which were already dreary from the darkness that shrouded their home world was almost unbearable. He missed the sunny skies of Mars. He glanced up as Ironhide walked in, himself heading for some place else but stopping in to check with the General, his grandfather. Hard Drive sat back with a grin. "Sit, infant. Tell me things."

"Half day for the kids at school for the next four orns," Ironhide said as he pulled up a chair. "Conferences coming. We're going to have to arrange around them. How's it going?"

"We have power in the steel belt, Raptor told me," Hardie said. "They brought the big generation station online."

"That's good news. It'll light up that big camp there," Ironhide said. "How's his cow?"

Hard Drive laughed, a good sound to even Cargo. "He's taking that cow everywhere. Pudding. What a great name."

"I love that cow," Ironhide said. "If we didn't have about 11 dependents at home, I'd have two or three. Nothing like having a little herd in your house."

"You already do," Hardie said with a grin. "I'm going to have lunch in the northern pole with a number of the managers. We have to decide about the new camps. Come with."

"Alright," Ironhide said as his great grandfather stood. He glanced at Cargo. "Come on, infant. Time to go." He looked at Hard Drive. "Did you go see the breaches in the northern quadrant?"

"We did," Hard Drive said as he shoved his chair into his desk. "Those are deep holes but they're coming along. We can't restore power there until they're taken care of."

Ironhide nodded as he followed his grandfather to the door. They exited followed by a solemn Cargo. It would be a short ride to the gathering and a nice meal and chat had by all. Cargo would sit with Keystock who would sit with Pudding. Many were the pictures taken of the three by the leadership of the reclamation of Cybertron.

-0-Earth2

"When is that idiot getting out of jail?" someone asked as they ate a light meal in the bar on the Business Concourse of Earth2 with several friends.

"In about ten days," I was told. Thirty days after arrest," someone else replied.

"I get a lot of emails from home about him. None of those idiots belong here," the first said as the others nodded.

The conversation cut short as Carlos Ortega, Sam Hedges and Todd Baseman walked in and stopped at the bar. Getting beer and bar food, they walked to a table nearby to sit and snack. No one in the bar spoke to them or paid them any attention. They were trouble and no one wanted to be seen with them. The three knew it and had felt it since Thanksgiving when they became an international pariah in some quarters, many of them here.

It was a stand off between those who wanted a good relationship and work life here and those who had other goals and orders. They would eat their food, drink their beer, then hit the road again. This time they were heading for the dojo of Dai Atlas.

-0-TBC 1-11-18 edited 2-2-18