The Diego Diaries: Requiem (dd6 278)
-0-Mid morning the next orn
Ratchet walked to the Circle of Light Guild Store in Terra. Opening the door, noting the soft tinkling of bells on the door, he grinned at Edict who was dusting a number of delicate glass sculptures. He smiled at Ratchet. "Hi, Ratchet. So good to see you."
"Good to see you, too, Edict. You look wonderful as usual," Ratchet said.
"I feel so good. Burris is having such a good time at the job you gave to him. He went out last night to have a beer with his friends there. They played a game called pool. They're going to help him learn how to play it."
Ratchet laughed. "That's hilarious. I'm so happy to hear about it," he said as he hugged the big mech. "He always needed a direction other than oblivion. He's working his way up the pole. Right now, he's working in food services. He likes to cook, I'm told."
"He does! He cooks at home and it tastes so good," Edict said with amazement. "I find him such a good companion now."
"How does he really feel, Edict?" Ratchet asked. "Down deep?"
"He's still mixed up but he told me something two orns ago that stayed in my mind. He told me that working at the hospital doing these things makes him feel relieved. It's like a burden is off," Edict said.
"I believe it. I'll stop in and see him, maybe chat," Ratchet said.
Anders grinned. "That will be helpful."
Edict nodded in agreement. "I'm so glad. Did you know that we're planning the pre-bonding parties for Bron-E and Borealis?"
"Count me in if you need help," Ratchet said. "You know how I like to party."
"We need another pub crawl," Madura said as he stepped out of an aisle of books. He ran the little cafe that the store featured because he had a flair for creating snacks and drinks that appealed. Part of the high caste training that he wasn't ashamed of was being put to good use.
Ratchet laughed. "I'll check the schedule with Granny," he said as they laughed together. It was relaxed and wonderful in the sunny room. Joon waved, left her loom, then hugged Ratchet. "I come here to get my morning burst of happiness."
"This is the place to come," Joon said.
"I heard about you and Proteus, Maddie, going to the Well. I can't tell you how happy I am for both of you," Ratchet said.
Madura smiled a dazzler, something that no one had seen before their pub crawl. "We miss that, the warmth and companionship of family and children. We have children in the prison, adoptees from political alliances. They aren't warm, those sorts of things. They were business deals and political alliances. We want children and grandchildren of our own. I'm so happy. Proteus and I have been getting a room ready for our little mech."
"Do tell. Details," Ratchet said. "Have you been to the Protoform Clinic at the Medical Center or Sciences?"
"We went last night to Sciences. We have such a beautiful protoform. We want wings and a simple but elegant color scheme. We want him to fit in without feeling poorly about caste. We won't have a caste mark applied either." He grinned. "All of the preparation is so exciting."
Ratchet laughed. "You'll miss all the screaming and yelling."
"I don't mind. I don't want to wait, either. I want a baby of my own, one from Proteus and me. I know that The One has held that spark for us until we came to our senses. This place is a miracle, Ratchet. I don't know much about babies but day after tomorrow, we'll have our own little mech." Madura almost looked ready to cry.
"There's nothing like it," Ratchet said as the two hugged. "I'll be your physician. I'm pulling rank," he said as they laughed. "We need to have a party for you and Proteus. You can't have an infant without celebrations."
"We have that covered, Ratchet. The invites go out tonight. Dinner at the Tower In The Sky here in Terra. I hope everyone makes it. The Squad saved my life." He grinned. "Life is good now, Ratchet."
"Life is," Ratchet said. "I'm glad you got the protoform covered. I came to make sure," Ratchet said. "How's business here?"
"We're going great," Joon said. "All is well."
"All is, Joon," Ratchet said with a whole heart.
-0-In the Office of the Primes, The Fortress
He sat at his desk staring at the pile of work before him. He felt antsy, like there was something he had to do that he had forgotten. Outside the open door, he saw mechs and the odd femme walking here and there. It was pleasant and mellow, something that was needed after the past few orns of terrible tragedy. Now, they had to wait. He wondered if the itchy feeling that he had was because of that or something bigger and more explosive. He knew They would weigh in. The group that had been committed to the trial would be there to see it to the end. What that would mean, how it would happen, he had no idea. He just knew that he was ready for it to end no matter how it would be.
He looked at the work, then slowly began to sort it out. It would take a while for him to focus enough to do that but he would. He would also know that the Pantheon was getting ready to speak.
-0-On Cybertron
Raptor and Hard Drive sat on a bench going over the plans for the restoration of the local area, one that overlapped on their districts. The major settlement here was half in one, half in the other. There were a lot of refugees living here in comfort and good supply. Sitting nearby on a pile of rocks, Keystock and Cargo looked like a couple of dejected puppets. The only perky thing about them was Pudding. He stood in front of them looking like a contented cow. He was, actually. The backpack was sitting on the ground nearby as they watched the generals discussing things with weary expressions on their faces.
:I'm hungry: Keystock said.
:Me, too: Cargo replied. :What do you think about the trial? Lucien looked awful:
:He's not the only one. No one looked very good. Blackstone was the most disturbed. I don't know what I think about this. I'm too tired and hungry: Keystone said. :Let's talk about something else:
They were silent for the most of the stopover. Shortly before they were ready to press onward, they were recalled by Prime.
-0-Armory
Ironhide was checking out a stockpile of Seeker rockets as Halo watched him. She was propped up on a historic pillow sitting in a historic box. At least, to her papa, all of that was so. The things that his kids had used were kept in the locker in their building's basement or closet of his berth room, 'heirlooms' of their family to be 'passed down to the next ones'. Ratchet humored him even as he felt the same way. Ratchet, however, would sip hot lead before he would say so.
"See these?" Ironhide asked as he held one of the slimline rockets in his servos. "These fit on the arms of the bigger Seekers and fire from there. These heat seek and sink slaggers. No one wants one of these on their aft." He grinned at his daughter as he put it back on the rack. She was waving her arms at him, a smile brightly shining on her little white face. "You're one cute little femme. Your old ada sure knows how to paint. Your little face is so cute. Your little black peds and servos are really pretty. Copper is a great color for a little femme," he said as he ticked off the box on his datapad that said the munitions passed inspection. "You need to learn this. Little femmes should learn how to defend themselves."
He walked to her box, bent down to sniff her, then put her binky back into her mouth. She smiled at him around it, then relaxed. He tucked her blanket around her, then grinned. "Two pretty femmes. First femmes but for your Great-Great-Auntie Lissie. Now there's a femme's femme. Little femme knows how to fight and how to be a great teacher. She's a pretty femme, too. I heard that she has mechs swanning around her now, some of them younger." He grinned. "Nothing changes much. That happened back home, too."
Ironhide walked to the next pallet loaded up with a number of slimline rockets that were part of the one-two-and three man fighters. "I don't know much about what femmes need but Hero is your friend there. She loves you so much. She felt so alone among all the mechs." He grinned. "You have a lot of sisters. Better not get an embellishment without your old ada with you. He's going to throw a rod." He counted the rockets, checked, then marked them off. "We're ahead of schedule. Good thing you keep me on the straight and narrow or I'd not get this done. When I'm through, we can go to the Street Food Fair Mall in Kalis and get lunch. Maybe your old ada will be free, too."
They wouldn't get a chance. The call from Prime to come arrived just as he finished the last count and inspection. They would hurry out and upward to get to the Courthouse.
-0-Office of The Boss, Metrotitan
He was dozing in his chair in front of a pile of datapads that was deeper than he liked on the desk in front of him. Nearby on a couch, giving up the pretense of being awake, Drift was stretched out as he had some 'shut eye'.
They both had a fondness for cowboys and westerns.
It was nice in the office as light streamed through the big windows. There were dust motes floating in the beams as they warmed the air. It was peaceful and comfortable in the silent room.
Maxi stood in the doorway watching with a smirk on her pretty face. "Slaggers," she said softly. She walked back through the door to her own desk. As she sat, a message from the Courthouse came through. "Come at once to the courtroom. -Prime"
They would.
-0-Ratchet and the rest
He rapped on the doorjamb to Lucien's office. "We have to report to the courthouse. Prime's call."
Lucien looked up almost startled. "What does that mean? The verdict was made."
Ratchet grinned a tight humorless grin. "By Prime." He turned back and walked toward the door through the offices of the other members of his State Departmental staff. Lucien would hustle to join him.
Barron, Blackstone looking pensive and concerned, Coln-2 and their respective staffs made their way down the hallway to the courtroom. Inside, waiting at the dais, Prowl looked tense. Prime was not present as they entered followed by all of the witnesses including the two who were part of the party. They looked tense but stood with their tech aides from Processor Health. Others came as well, Springer and Drift, Ratchet followed by a tense strained Lucien and then the generals and their respective problem children. Waldeen followed them with a strained expression on his face. The room filled up, then everyone sat as Traachon entered last. Ratchet walked to Prowl and chatted with him as they waited.
Prowl froze a moment to take a call, then turned to everyone. "You're to sit. You're to wait. There's little precedence for what might happen but understand … the presence of great holiness is nearby."
Everyone glanced at each other, then sat, their bodies suffused with tension. The room seemed electric as their own tension combined with that of the moment. Prowl was grim as he stood by the podium, then the door opened and Prime entered. He walked to the front of the room, then nodded to Prowl. Prowl bowed low, then walked to a seat next to Ratchet. It was silent a moment, then Prime spoke. "We are here to determine the fate of the Council of Twelve. I have not given my verdict for the others who bear responsibility for their share of the crimes committed. Without their unswerving support and effort, nothing that happened could have transpired. I would like all of them to enter the courtroom to sit in their places silently."
The bailiff turned to the door, opened it and leaned out. Leaning back in, he held the door as a long line of simplistically styled mechs walked in. They walked to their chairs, then sat almost as one. They looked as unchanged as ever as they did. However, it was at that time that something none of them had ever felt before happened. A surge of electricity shot through their bodies, a feeling of electrical energy that appeared out of nowhere. They felt it, then glanced around at each other. Prime who was standing in front of the room felt a greater portion of it, then he spoke. "We are here. We are here for you," a different voice said. Then everyone in the room, prisoner and participant disappeared altogether.
-0-TBC 2-19-18 edited 2-22-18
They plan to reboot the TF universe dumping Bay's stuff. :D They plan to resurrect even dead bots. More when I hear it. :D