The Diego Diaries: Man Cave (dd6 478)
-0-That evening
"So, you're leaving me here with these little slaggers all by myself?"
"No. I figured on taking Halo along in the hold. She can get the hang of cards that way. All the others know how to play cards. It's her turn to learn."
Ratchet stared at Ironhide as he shut the dishwasher and turned to go sit in his command chair as Sunspot called it. Ratchet called it something else but not when the babies were around. He froze in place as he nearly collided with Ratchet who was standing behind him with his servos on his hips.
Ratchet grinned. "I see your reflexes are as good as ever."
"You doubt it?" Ironhide asked with a grin.
"Yes," Ratchet said as he walked to his chair to sit. Kids were playing in all the rooms and running around happily. Sunspot was up at The Residence playing with the little mechs, the big boys who came late, a couple of them, ate swiftly, then derezzed out to their platforms in the DMZ to be part of a systems upgrade and analysis. They weren't happy to go but they did. Ratchet flopped, then grinned at Ironhide who flopped next to him. "I'm having the sitter come. I have to go and show the flag at the Immigration Center, then go to Unidad for a moment. They want to show some of the progress made in the habitat and I'm booked up for the next three orns so I have to come now."
"Sounds like a plan. Come by the man cave when you can. Have the sitter put them to bed and maybe one of the elders can come and stay here. Once the slaggers are in their beds, things are easier," Ironhide said.
"I'll ask," he said as he did. He grinned. "They said not to get the sitter. They're coming."
"How's Corr, by the way?" Ironhide asked as he shut off the television monitor.
"He's doing really well but he still forgets things, sometimes thinking he's back in the mess," Ratchet said. "I think he was too frail too long to be fully 100% but we'll keep working on it."
"Frag," Ironhide said as the door opened and a happy face peeked inside. "What took you so long?" he asked with a grin.
Docker chuckled as she walked in with Corr. "You're so funny," she said as she kissed Ironhide's helm. Both of them sat on a couch. "How are things going, Sonny? What about the newcomers? Do they need the reserve auxiliary yet to come and help?"
Ratchet had wanted to pitch a fit when he heard that the four of them were part of the Refugee Auxiliary, the group that came to work on the reclamations, helping those who came to their new lives. It hadn't been so bad at first but as per their sweet and gentle nature, they always overdid it. Thus, Ratchet had asked Magnus to put them in the reserve group of helpers, those who would come only if there was a disaster, like 1,000,000 coming at the same time to the planet. "Nope. They'll hail you. Magnus has this, Amma."
"That's good. He's quite a wonderful mech, our Magnus. So tall," Docker said as Corr nodded. She was a small end mini-con, but not a micro. Corr was a small end mech of normal stature, roughly 18-19 feet in height. He was slim and slighter than most mechs but then he had not fared well in the inequities of the caste system and the deprivation that came to individuals like him. He would have been perhaps bigger and broader if he hadn't had a hard life.
Ratchet speculated on that for all of them but not too often. It made a molten rage swell in him when he did. "How do you feel, Amma? I read the reports. You look good on the protoform. You're almost there. What's happening in therapy?"
Corr grinned. "Its a nice group, Ratchet. Doctor Vinn wants me to come with just the family for a session once a decaorn. He wants to just listen to us."
"I think that's good. You can really tell him things that you want to say," Ratchet said as he dropped an off line message to Vinn for clarification. It came back promptly and was just a move to give Corr more time to speak about himself. His group had five other members besides Appa Ratchet, Docker and Chan. The sweet little mech could barely get a word in edgewise. He pulsed back his thanks and tamped down the fright that Corr's words had raised in him. "Vinn is a good therapist and a very kind person. You tell him everything that's on your processor. Leave nothing out."
"I will, Sonny," Corr said as the kids came out to see who was here. It was bedlam a moment, then they were sitting on their ammas' laps together. "Look at this. How sweet you are. How cute," he said with a smile.
"You kids behave for your ammas and appas. Atar and I have to go a workin'," Ratchet said with a grin.
"You goin' a workin'?" Orion asked. His speech pattern was a humorous adaption for most of them. "I going to doing?"
"Nope." -Ironhide and Ratchet
Orion stared at them, then looked up at Corr who was smiling down at him. Then he smiled, too. "Okey-dokey."
Huge laughter greeted that as Ratchet and Ironhide rose to go. Everyone came out, then hugs and kisses were had. When they left everyone stared at the door, then their ammas. Docker grinned. "Let's go to our house and get cookies. Appas are there and we can play."
Five little kids squealed with delight, then hip hopped out the door with their great grannies. The door closed quietly behind them.
-0-On the street
It was cold and the town was rocking. Everywhere they looked there were refugees walking around with expressions of amazement and delight on their faces. It was the way it always was when someone came. It made everyone here especially happy and the bars, clubs, groceries which stayed open all night, the overnight diners, theaters, and street food vendors were busy as bird dogs. The night was velvet and cold, the stars thick in the sky overhead as they sauntered down the sidewalk hand-in-hand. They didn't know anyone about but they waved at the Night Watchmen riding by on horse patrol.
"It think that white one is one of ours," Ratchet said as they passed a line at the hot dog stand that was always across from The Home Store. "I recognized our mark on that horse's flank."
"Most of 'em are," Ironhide said with a grin. "Where are you going?"
"To the Port," Ratchet said. "You?"
"I'll come along, then come back. I have a few moments before the game starts. The twins are organizing it. They're bringing food, drinks and about 20 freeloaders," Ironhide said as they walked down the steps to the metro station below. It was jammed with those coming and going at this, the premier station in the system. Pushed back against a wall, they waited with smirks as the punters climbed out and climbed in as trains ran constantly.
"Magnus put more on than usual. You might find your ammo runs bumped a bit in the schedule until things calm down," Ratchet said as he slipped his arms around Ironhide's broad waist.
He patted Ratchet's servos. "Hope no nuclear devices fall on the colony then."
"Which kind? The pickle/ice cream/Oreo flatulence kind or the real thing?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
Ironhide snickered. "I don't know which is worse to tell you the truth." They waved at friends who were getting off, then moving upward to the street to go home. Moving slowly along with the outgoing group on the station platform, they finally entered a car, then squeezed together so the doors would close. "I always wondered what the sardines felt like in those little cans."
Snickers greeted that from the packed train as it began again. Ratchet grinned. "This reminds me of those trains in Japan where they have someone outside the doors pushing people inside. I think I'd need new gaskets if this happened here all the time."
"Doctor, heal yourself," Ironhide said as they streaked along. Hitting nearly every stop, they finally reached the first station that fed the Immigration Center at the Martian Port of Entry #3. The first two were at the airfield and the Municipal Airport. This one was the big industrial facility that they built here and fenced in, nearly 2 square miles of space dedicated to migrations whether Mars was reached by ship or bridge. A big building nearby housed four space bridge terminals of which two were 'long reach' devices. They were heavily powered, the determiner of how long and far a bridge could go and return something and took anyone who needed to come or go wherever that was. Only the Triggers were more powerful and they were doing ship duty for the migration. These two were fixed on Oasis Base Camp with two carrying refugees here while the other two did all the other business related.
They had the power to reach that place, though the bridges there didn't. They weren't designed to do that. They were designed to reach any place from the camp into the search area they were hunting. They were now linked into these to allow refugees to walk to freedom and safety without a longer harder ship transfer. That was reserved for those who were sick, shot, incapacitated, or debilitated in any manner. It was orderly and efficient, bringing the multitudes to Mars. The Port was enclosed to prevent anyone from doing a bad deed, then running into a city to do more. It was heavily guarded, massively supported and working like a charm.
Ratchet stared at the lines snaking out across the enclosure, hitting them with scans. "Nothing too bad. Nothing that good food, rest and a sense of safety won't fix."
Ironhide nodded as they walked toward the long low building where sitting at intervals for what seemed like miles, workers processed the newcomers. Waiting patiently, groups of volunteers were going to take them onward. Buses were parked outside the fence whose gate was heavily guarded. They would go with their group, enter their new life and hopefully find a way to be happy again. Most of them were overwhelmed, shocked, delighted, stunned into silence or overawed. None of them looked like a problem but sometimes that took time to emerge. Whatever it would be, the colony was ready for them.
Blondi was standing inside the open front styled glass encased building where lines snaked inside. Glass prevented the sand and hoo-hah from entering and kept the warmth in. The refugees came in through doors, did their business, then continued out the back through glass doors that would take them to transport. Inside here, the air was warm, techs with energon assisted the hungry and others watched for mental conditions or infirmities. This process had streamlined the problems and made it easier for the refugees to get home faster and with less chance of something slipping through the cracks.
They watched and chatted with Blondi who was heading for home shortly to grab a few joors of sleep, check that infant and bond of hers, then come back with half her family. When you're from Stanix, you seldom did things alone. Ironhide glanced around, then grinned. "Then I guess I better hit it."
"Notice how you said that without Halo?" Ratchet said with a grin.
"You're ammas are grabby," Ironhide said with a chuckle. "Don't work too hard," he said, then he swaggered off to the man cave for a night with the boys.
"Nice aft, Ratchet," Blondi said as she watched Ironhide saunter off.
"He has one. In fact, the other night in the berth-" was as far as he got.
-0-Man Cave Central
They came in groups and singly. They carried food and beer or not. They came to play cards and shoot the slag. That part could be guaranteed. Bluestreak stood at the counter where food was usually displayed. Organized and good natured as ever, he was taking platters of all manner of good stuff and placing them together for snacking. Beer was stacked on the floor in cases and small kegs and would be imbibed liberally. The twins were setting up the room including adding a few card tables they received from slaggers who were coming. A nice big crowd was expected.
Optimus Prime and his atar, Tagg walked in with a platter of finger food. Bluestreak glanced at the two of them, then grinned. The greatest warrior of their species, the moral and ethical, political and religious, legal and humane center of their entire species was standing in the doorway holding a platter of little sandwiches and sides that Prowl had made with his sweet and nearly identical father, Tagg beside him. For Blue, it seldom got sweeter than that. He walked through the tables and took the tray. "I'll put this over there. You can get food and drink now or later."
"I think I will when I sit," Tagg said with a grin.
Raptor followed by Hard Drive, Delphi, Turbine, Blackjack, Alor, and Ironhide entered the room, passing the Pax family to carry things to the counter. Alor walked back and hugged Tagg. "Where's Kes?"
"Studying," Tagg said. "He's coming down later when Prowl comes. Both of them are trying to catch up on a few things."
"Good. The Squad hasn't gotten arrested lately so I hope they both show," Alie said with a chuckle. "Where's Ratchet, infant?"
Ironhide who had pulled a chair to sit glanced up at his ada. "He's do-gooding. He has to see how the migration is coming along, then go to Unidad to look at radishes or something"
Alor laughed. "We'll save a seat. It isn't really truly getting shit faced without him here."
Huge agreement met that remark as more and more mechs and a femme or six entered with food and drinks. Some of them sat down to begin games while others chatted before doing so. It was good that the man cave encompassed four huge storage rooms now. It would need all the space it could get.
For the beer.
-0-Unidad
Ratchet stood at the lake in the dome. It was starry overhead and the lights inside were adequate to illuminate the roadway but little else. It was as it would be in the middle of the country on Earth, lights where people were and darkness everywhere else. They were showing him the lake and how the plants had taken root. Everywhere he looked there was green where it was supposed to be and a much darker, richer appearing earth where it was still unplanted. The forest in the distance was beautiful. There were lights through it following the two footpaths that were now part of its features.
Soon fish would be swimming in the water system he was told. Birds were now flying in the sky. A few bumps in the dome showed them the limits of their freedom but they appeared to be adapting beautifully. So were the squirrels whose incessant chatter showed those who trespassed on their territory their feelings about it. Cows coming home to the barn followed their bell cow, an older female who ruled the roost like the matriarch she was. Horses were in the stable getting groomed for the night. Dogs came with them in the trucks and the scientists were deliriously happy to show each little thing to him, the Liaison Officer to the Prime for Unidad Terra 1.
Ratchet listened with a grin. He remembered every time he was around humans why he liked them so much. They were good, intrinsically good and gave their little sparks to all that they did. Earth was a good place, he thought as he listened to Les Hadden talk about the cornfield they just planted. He was glad they were here, these little squishies. They added flavor to the colony and their world was desperate for them to succeed and bring back their wisdom. Ratchet felt the same way himself. As for the cornfield, he thought, as he stared at the endless acres of small green shoots working their way upward … he had heard if you built it, they would come.
He sure hoped so. He didn't tell them that Prime had four other habitats just like this one on the long term plans for the colony. Ratchet wasn't the only one who loved the humans, too. He knelt down to look at the tiny plants, little green shoots pushing their way upward toward the light. It reminded him of the humans. He grinned at Les Hadden as he talked about the future, a future where both species worked together for the peace and as he did, Ratchet felt a sublime sense of gratitude. This was indeed a Primus blessed place.
-0-TBC 9-23-18 edited 10-2-18