The Diego Diaries: Scoutin' and Farmin' and Hangin', oh my (dd6 410)
-0-Unidad Terra 1
The hospital was pristine and ready to rumble but for the placement of supplies and unboxing of machines and other equipment in pallets stacked in the supply rooms all over the facility. The hospital's service entrance fronted onto the street next to the outside dome doors so that it would be easier to take things in and out than down the inner streets of the downtown, hence its placement against the back of the facility. He was pleased as peas as he listened to Phoebe Grant from Earth 1 talk about the place of which she would be director. She would still live at Earth 1 for now but commute here as this would be the main hospital for humans and those facilities at the other habitats would be merely triage and emergency stations. Any procedures, deliveries or major illnesses would be treated here. Also, any long term studies of life here would be centered in the big three story inner building.
All was well with her.
He ambled out content to be an observer as he took in the sights, thought about good questions he would ask about them and what he would tell the newbies the next morning when they arrived. Having come back from Diego after a chat with Fulton, a chat with a mass of humans gathered around him on the way back to the Embassy and a chat with a friend in the Metro station on the way here, he had arrived to watch the unloading of Olivia Bower's horses and apparently, two greyhounds that she worshiped. They were a dog species that ran like the wind. Apparently, they were beautiful to watch so he came to the back door and headed for the stable that was two miles from the barn where the cows would live. Things were being spread out apparently for everyone's greater good.
What would he know? He was a city boy.
He grinned as he walked along the track that would be a wide two lane road from the facility to the animal barns in the distance all of which would be reached by dirt roads for the comfort of animals hooves, apparently. A ship was lifting off outside, heading for the boonies or wherever it was going next while two trucks that it off loaded drove to the airlock around front where they would enter, then wait to come inside. They would then drive across the concourse to E Street and a straight shot to the outside where they would head for the stable. They were sentient mechs who had gone to Earth with Olivia to carry the animals in a secured container for the transfer from ship to habitat. That had been an event …
Olivia sat in the front seat of a huge truck towing a horse trailer. Behind her came another, both of which would transfer her three horses, two dogs and all their tack and special gear and care equipment to Mars. Her family was gathered at her parent's farm where they lived with all the other horses. Her family were venture capitalists that had taken up 'gentleman farming' on the side and had become entranced with thoroughbred horses to the point where they raised them and entered not only horse shows but riding contests. All of their children were expert and successful on the jumping and dressage scenes world wide.
Now they gathered to watch as two trucks drove down their long wooded driveway with their daughter. As the trucks got closer, they were unnerved to see that they were driverless. Olivia was sitting in the passenger side of the first one. They pulled up, she jumped out and they hugged. Squeeing madly together for a moment, she turned to the trucks. "Mama, Daddy, this is Cargo and that's Metallica."
Steven and William, her brothers and Phyllis, her sister stared at the trucks, their spouses, children and parents around them, then the trucks again. "Are those Autobots, Olivia?" her sister asked nervously.
She smiled. "Yes," she said, then turned to both. "Could you transform so I can introduce you to my family? You're doing such a kindness for me, gentlemen, that I want my family to know who you are."
For a moment, they were just trucks, then with a clanging of noise that scared the dogs, horses and if they would admit it, the humans watching including a number of friends and other family members, the big mechs transformed. They were over 29 feet tall, colossal in a way that was unknowable unless seen and on their handsome faces, the humans could read good humor. That their faces were handsome was also a revelation.
Olivia turned to them. "This is Cargo and that's Metallica. They're Knights who volunteered to help me. I love them madly," she said as she turned toward her family. "You should see their little kids. THEY'RE SO CUTE!" Olivia said with a big smile.
Everyone glanced from them, to Olivia, to them, and then Olivia. Her mom stepped forward with her dad. "Welcome to Branch Hollow Farm, gentlemen. Thank you for your kindness to our daughter. We appreciate what you came to do for her."
"It's our pleasure," Cargo said. "We serve our people and Olivia is our people."
She smiled at them through a mass of emotion, then turned to her family. "They're the best, the Knights. They want to help me get the horses to Mars. When we're settled, you can come for a vacation. We have an apartment in Unidad now and have spare bedrooms for visitors because our job has that diplomatic touch and we need room to house anyone who comes including officials from all around Earth."
They chatted, then the mechs transformed as the family walked to the barn to get the horses. It would take a while to forklift the gear pallets on board, then load the horses. The dogs would ride in the cabin with Olivia. They chatted, made plans for a week from this day to come for a visit, then with a box of treats her family made for her and Joe, she boarded the truck with her dogs, Titus and Andronicus or Andy. Waving madly, the family watched her drive away with her bounty and the biggest, most happy smile they had ever seen her have. It was silent for a moment.
"We just talked to trucks," Steven Boles said with a grin. "I can't wait to go to the habitat. I wonder if they need a good accountant."
They would.
-0-At the habitation
The trucks drove out into the open space of the farmland and followed Ratchet down the 'country lanes' that would take them to the horse barn about two miles from Square Deal Dairy. Taking the turnoff, they followed him, then pulled into the big open lot in front of a long sleek building with paddocks and lots of space for growth of the ranch remuda. They halted, then Olivia hopped out with her dogs. They sniffed Ratchet, then ran into the barn to explore.
Olivia hugged Ratchet's ped, then smiled brilliantly upward. "THANK YOU FOR ASKING PRIME! I can't tell you how much I missed my babies, Ratchet. YOU'RE MY HERO!"
Ratchet laughed. "How's living here? I heard you and Joe moved in."
"It's so awesome. We're sort of alone in a big empty right now but soon it'll be a living vibrant place. We have a bigger apartment than most because of the job and hosting but its alright. I'm so damned happy! Having my horses to ride and to see how horses and big animals live here ... I'm in the study ... will be awesome. My dogs … I missed them like children."
"I hear you," Ratchet said. "How do we help you get them out?"
"If you could help me with the doors and ramp," Olivia said as the two trucks began to do that for her. She smiled, then ran to one, climbing inside where one of the horses waited patiently. She rubbed his neck and flank, checking him over, then unhitched him from the hook on the wall and led him toward the ramp. He banged down it, then turned to face the stable, sniffing the air as he looked around with high emotion. His ears swiveled as he listened and his beauty was almost overwhelming. He was a big, dark horse with big dark eyes. Around his feet, four chickens, companions to him and the two others strutted with excitement. She led him and the chickens to a paddock, walked inside with them, then let the horse off his lead.
He stared around, then walked to the water trough nearby to tank up. Ratchet grinned, then watched as Olivia did the same with the other two. Her dogs hopped around, happy to see her as she worked. Ratchet who was chatting with Cargo walked to the back of the truck, then reached in to grip a pallet. It would take two trips to get all three of them to carry inside the barn. When that happened, the trucks transformed to stare at the horses.
"What beautiful animals. Smaller than ours but nice. I like horses. My son loves to ride them in school," Cargo said as Metallic nodded. "Thanks for the fun. I can now say I was on Earth, Olivia."
She ran to them and hugged both their peds. "Thank you so much. You made me so happy, I have no words." She smiled at them, they chatted a moment, then both mechs walked down the lane, transformed to their usual truck mode and drove onward to their usual orn's doings.
"Well, it looks like you have things to do. Can I help you at all, Olivia?" Ratchet asked.
"That's okay, Ratchet. I'm going to unpack the pallets and leave some of this stuff for Joe to take to the house. A bunch of it is my mom's canning," she said with a chuckle. "The rest is our home stuff that we always kept in storage. I want to make the apartment home. I have to tell you, Ratchet, that other than visits to Earth, this is my home. Here, among the bots, on this world."
"Its a change and a half, isn't it?" Ratchet said. "You were the enemy when you came, you know. How has your husband taken this all in? Is it still hard for him?"
She considered a story that he told her when he came back from his monthly meeting at the Pentagon with his superiors …
He came into their apartment at the Tower with a frown. She looked up from her book and noted it. "What happened, Joe? You look tense."
He sat down heavily, glancing her way with a sigh. "They want to know things I can't tell and be honorable, things that aren't part of the meetings. They want to know about tech and hierarchies and the rest, stuff that has nothing to do with my brief. You know the drill. The things they sent me here to find out."
"You haven't told them, right?" Olivia asked anxiously.
"No," he replied. He was silent a moment. "I was sent here to spy, Olivia. I was sent here to help some forces in the government undermine the relationship, to get tech and to be a hindrance. You do know that, right?"
"I know," she said with a nod.
It was silent, then Joe shook his helm. "I'm not going to do that. I'll do my job as liaison but I'm not going to be a spy for fuckers. They have no idea how much danger we're in without the bots and they can't be persuaded. They need to go to the jail here to see what we're facing, the fuckers. I just need you to know that. I want you to know that I don't understand everything you're doing but I'm on your side and I'm going to protect the relationship as much as Morshower and the others. If we don't, Olivia, then we will all die. The mission here is critical. The bots are honorable. To undermine that is to help our world commit suicide. It won't happen."
She smiled at him. "That's why you're my hero, Joe." …
"He was expected to snitch but he can't. He gets it and he likes it here," Olivia said. "You don't have to worry about Joe."
Ratchet nodded. "I've thought so for a long time but it helps to have confirmation." He looked into the barn. "Do you need any help then?"
"Not right now, Ratchet. Thanks, though. Some of the femmes of the Knights want to help with the horses and I think the N.E.S.T. soldiers do as well. I think I have it covered."
Ratchet nodded. "Have fun. I have to go back and wander around."
They parted with her running inside the stable with her dogs barking and bouncing around her. When he did, he crossed another worry off his shit list and sent a message to Prowl.
-0-Prowl who was watching a demonstration of building a shelter out of sticks and slag after a five mile hike into the bush
He read the memo, then glanced at Ironhide who was bent down with a handful of branches from broken and dead trees he had 'pruned to help nature'. The kids were taking them out of his servo and bending them to make shelters that they would be staying in tonight. They would camp here after walking in five miles, then break camp to go back for the two hour morning activities before the group had to go home again. :Ironhide:
He glanced at Prowl. :What?:
:Ratchet was talking to Olivia Bowers. Joe has turned to the dark side:
:Is that us or them?: he asked with a grin.
:Us: Prowl replied as he watched kids thatch their shelter expertly. He was seriously impressed.
:Score one for the home team: Ironhide said as the last limb in his servo was snatched. He would walk into a swamp nearby and get more. By the time he was finished scavenging, they would have a great little camp, a fire pit and another hike to accomplish. The femmes who had walked with them, helping them over downed trees and chatting with the humans who were entranced with them were amazingly good for the team. Maxi who was carrying a little boy who had scoliosis and needed a bit of a lift through the uneven terrain would bring honor to everyone. It was a great orn all in all for everyone including the four mechs with the slight smirks who were ambling along with them, scouting for anything of any danger or import for fifty miles around.
-0-At the habitat
Ratchet stood by the window of the third floor office of the City Operational Officer or COO, Carly Brooks-Spencer. She had moved in, then worked out her office, getting things organized for the department heads and support staff who were coming shortly along with all the school personnel and educational director. It was her daily job to make sure things ran, departments were doing their job and had what it took to do so, listen to problems and work out solutions, check on personnel to assist or direct them, and a dozen other things. Just below her office on the second floor was that which belonged to Sam Witwicky who would be business liaison and agent for the habitat and all who wanted to be partnered or work with them.
Her office was bigger.
"So we'll have them come here and meet up in the movie theater downtown, Carly. Then I'm going to speak to them in pretender gear but in my normal format," Ratchet said.
"Can you do that?" she asked with surprise.
"I hope so," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. "I have a text in to Wheeljack and Perceptor. It's merely displacement with subspace and using my regular format, a non-human design from my files. I hope. If not, then we're screwed."
"You'll figure it out," Carly said with a smirk as she leaned out the window of her office that overlooked Main Street. "I don't think there's much that gets past you, Ratchet."
"I don't know," Ratchet said with a wicked grin. "Why, other night in the berth-"
Carly laughed loudly. "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!"
"I could get a complex with the laughter my reminiscences from the berth get from others," he said with a smile.
"Do you have a baby with you? Inquiring minds, you know," Carly said.
Ratchet grinned, then whisked Halo out of his hold. Sitting on his hand, smiling brilliantly at Carly, Halo flapped her arms. "BAI!"
"She's almost university ready or so Ironhide says. We want her in pre-med, something that has good benefits and lets her have weekends off," Ratchet said with a wink.
"I want her in my house," Carly said as she patted Halo's tiny ped. "I love your kids so much."
"When can we expect some from you and what's his name?" Ratchet asked.
"We want to get married first. Then settle in together. Then babies. I want five," Carly said. "I want them born here. Here in Unidad."
"Then get busy," Ratchet replied. "Are you still going to have Prime do it?"
"We are. Right here. I heard that Merlie wants a church. I hope its big enough for him and all of you. You're all invited." She grinned. "By the way, do I have to come to staff meetings now?"
"You do," Ratchet replied. "Make sure you bring a Rubik's cube and a book."
"That's what I heard, though the good of the order is the prize for the meeting. Or so I'm told," Carly said.
"You heard that right," Ratchet said. They chatted, then parted ways as more of the humans began to be seen about. Peering into the barbecue restaurant, Ratchet was explained the finer points of the art from Collier as Halo walked around the sidewalk. Collie hugged her, then waved as they walked onward together, Halo slowly and Ratchet more slowly. As Ratchet did, the last humans due at Diego Garcia and the other gathering places arrived. They would stay there until Autobot ships arrived to gather them up and take them away to Mars.
At the same time that happened, the camp in the boonies in Alaska would be waking up to eat breakfast around a fire pit with the big mechs watching them with grins and the little femmes helping and chatting. All in all, a most productive first organized Earth bound meet up of human and Cybertronian children ever was one for the history books.
-0-TBC 7-11-18 edited 7-17-18