The Diego Diaries: Migration (dd6 479)
-0-Dome
He stood in the semi dark and stared at the sky. He could see the habitation in the distance but the humans couldn' was over 20 miles away. It glittered with lights for him and no one else there. Monica Hadden looked up at him. "What do you see, Ratchet?"
Ratchet glanced down at her, then grinned. "Everything."
It was silent a moment. Then Monica glanced around. "You could forget you weren't on Earth in this place. Its peaceful and beautiful. You can smell the soil and the hope here. When you first came, I was surprised and afraid, then I saw that you were protecting us. It took a while to understand how much the universe is so diverse but from that moment on I wanted to be here and know you."
Ratchet knelt. He looked at the humans gathered around the dam where water spilled over making a musical sound. "What we wanted was to live in peace on our home world. We love Cybertron. Its hard to tell you how much. But it wasn't to be. In the search for the AllSpark we got to meet a lot of aliens, thousands and thousands of them. We met a lot like you but never have we met someone like us. We're unique and I know its strange to see us because we like to take automotive formats. We can become anything, really, but we like driving fast forms.
"The universe is huge and there are so many species and even dimensions filled with species that if you find yourself recoiling, you'll be very, very alone. There are some that are massively advanced and some just forming in tidal pools. Some have been space going since the beginning of time like us and some like you are still crawling. All of us matter. All of us are needed and wanted. To limit yourself to your own preconceived notions is to listen to a symphony played on a kazoo. The chords of life and possibility are so beautiful. I wish you could hear what I've heard."
"I do, too. Most of our people do as well," Les Hadden said. "It's hard to think about Mars being someone elses but here we are. We've been alone so long that we don't know how to think and live as broadly as we deserve. All we had was Earth and for a short time, the moon. Now we have the universe in your company and I'm glad. We want Earth to survive and flourish, to join the rest of the universe and all that lives there. I want to learn everything. I'm so grateful to be here, to do this for both the company and for our own people. I know that Prime is doing this to help us with a thousand problems and to help us learn how to live off world so we can teach others. He wants that and I know it."
"Optimus Prime is one in a trillion. He's so special and good … I wish you could know him like I do. His entire family is pure. I think that's a word that comes to me a lot about him. He's got such a pure aura. I wish humans could read them. You would avoid a lot of trouble if you could," Ratchet said. "Optimus Prime is the best person I ever met and I hope that you humans understand him, too. There will never be another one like him in any species, on any world, anywhere."
The stars overhead twinkled as a streak crossed the dark sky. "Ah, a shooting star," Ratchet said with a grin as it winked out. "Space is out there, humans. It's yours, too. You're the pioneers that will show everyone else how to get there. I want them to do that. All of us do. We love your species, you know. We know some of them don't like or understand us. They think if we leave so will the Decepticons. But they won't. We stay here because we care about you. That's why we're here. When Prime called for more soldiers we knew we would get refugees. We didn't know that Megatron was driving them toward us at the time to overcome our ability to help them. At some point, they're going to find out they failed."
"I hope its soon. What about Cybertron? What's happening there? Is it alright?" Zak Hadden asked.
Ratchet was silent a moment, then he stood and stared at the sky. "In the far corner near that blinking light you can find the way to my home. You go that way for a very long time, then you see it. It's a beautiful place, a shining ball of light in the darkness. It's lit all the time inside, the body of our Lord Primus, and its beautiful. It's so damaged," he said softly. "It's hard to be there but Prime took a chance to save those there and our home world. One billion live there and we're caring for them and those who live in the local group. Our Empire is divided. Most of it still lies in Decepticon hands but they drive the civilians out and we take them.
"One billion of our people are dead, killed in the war and its aftermath," Ratchet said. "There won't be a Cybertronian that you will ever meet that didn't lose someone or everyone. We're all orphans, all of us. We don't want that for you humans. You can't fight like you do and not pass the point of no return. You're so closely there now it scares me. We're rebuilding our home world and eventually it'll be as beautiful as it ever was. But it will never be the same. The monuments where the dead are buried in mass graves are everywhere. We can't lift a girder or a boulder without finding the dead. No matter what you do … you can rebuild the structures but the soul of a place, the very heart of it is its people. We lost a third of who we were. One billion living there, one billion dead and more than a billion lost. We're your object lesson, humans."
It was silent, then Monica hugged Ratchet's ped. "We're going to do our best, Ratchet. We promise," she said as the others nodded.
"You're off to a great start. I'm going to come back in a few orns in the daytime to look around. If there's anything I need to know, call my office. For now, I have to help the refugees. We have to take in five million of them over the next few decaorns. There will be a steady stream of our people coming to us. That's where I'll be."
"Is there anything we can do," Les Hadden asked.
Ratchet grinned. "Nope, but your offer is gold." He grinned as he looked around. Then they chatted a moment before Ratchet bade farewell, transformed, then drove off with a whoop of his lights and siren.
They watched him go, then looked up at the sky overhead.
"I can't imagine what his life has been like," Monica Hadden said.
"Pray that we never do," Les said as he walked to the car. Everyone climbed in, then they drove off for the habitat. Night was bearing down and beds called.
-0-Man Cave
"Where's Ada?" Sunstreaker asked as he sat down with a plate, a beer and a desire to win.
"Looking in on the refugees, then going to Unidad. Something about looking at fish," Ironhide said as he dealt the cards.
"Oh," Sunny said as he looked at his hand. It was great. He tossed in an Oreo, the tender of choice here kept in bins according to kind. Regular Oreos were the lowest tender in the game. The more flavorable the cookie stuff, the higher the value. Mint Oreos were the highest and I dare say, most popular coin in the game.
Around the room, mechs and the odd femme sat together talking or playing cards. The space was vast and the company mellow. Prime and his father, Tagg were playing at the table with Ironhide. Prime was having a beer, the gateway drug to his inevitable inebriation. His father who was delighted that his son would 'let down his hair' and have them stayed sober to help him get home. Tagg was a mellow drunk and so was his son. What kind of drunk the Matrix was was anyone's guess.
"You ante up, Prime?" Ironhide asked as his father, grandfather and great grandfather perused their cards. "Time's a wasting. I have a need for Oreos."
"Do you expect to win then?" Raptor asked with a grin. "You know that the moment you pass three beers your judgment hits the crapper."
"You of little faith," Ironhide said as he watched Tagg and Prime ante up.
As he did Prowl came in and stopped to stand behind Prime. Resting his servos on Prime's broad shoulders, he grinned. "Oreos again."
"The coin of the realm, Prowl. Sit down and ante up. The bin over there has enough Oreos to put me down," Ironhide said.
"You plan to win all of them?" Prowl asked as he helped himself to Oreos and a chair at the table. Squeezing in, he sat back to watch the hand play out.
"I AM IRONHIDE! I AM A WINNER!" Ironhide said to laughter and hoots from around the room. He grinned. "Slaggers. Did you see Ratchet?"
"Not yet," Prowl said. "He apparently is coming back from Unidad. By the way, what about giving Pudding and Flipper a cow's orn out and have them pasture with the herd at Unidad?" He smirked at Raptor and Blackjack who smirked back.
"They don't have their cow training wheels off yet," Raptor said as he opened his hold to glance in at his cow. Pudding was laying on his side snoring. "Now that's the stuff of champions." The hatch closed, everyone finally anted up and the play began. He looked at his son. "What about Flipper?"
Blackjack patted his hold. "He's getting his beauty sleep, though I'll pencil him in for the herd. He might learn a cow thing or two there."
"Good idea," Raptor said as he laid down his cards. "I win. Slaggers, all of you."
"Does that include me?" Prime asked with a slightly slagged grin on his face,
Prowl patted his servo. "That never includes you, Only One. Right?" he asked around the table. "Don't mind that I control the duty schedule."
"Prime, you're the mech."
"You're perfection on the hoof. The cloven hoof I might add as the mentor of a cow."
"Don't ask me. I don't know nothing."
Prowl grinned, then they dealt the cards. After tossing in a few and getting more, antes were made and the show was on.
-0-At the tower
Ratchet pulled into the lay by on the street, then transformed. He walked to the lobby, entered an elevator, then went down to the sub floor. Down the corridor which seemed to go on forever, he could see light spilling out of four doors along with laughter and voices. Grinning, he ambled along past normal storage rooms until he reached them, then entered. The place was filled with mechs and femmes playing cards at tables, some punters standing behind a player or lounging in the chairs and couches. Food was everywhere and so were cases of beer and small kegs of the hard stuff. Edging in, he filled a plate, got a cold one, then wound his way to the table where everyone was. Peering down, he grinned. "What a terrible hand, Prowler." Then he squeezed a chair in and sat.
Prowl frowned at him, then the others. "Fragger."
Everyone bet the farm, then showed their hands. Raptor reached out to grab the ante, then Prowl laid his down. "I beat you."
Raptor stared at the cards, the ante, then sat back. He frowned at Ratchet. "You slagging traitor."
"That's me. ME!ME!ME!" he said with a giant smile.
Everyone snickered. "That will teach you to trust an Iaconian," someone said with a chuckle.
Half the room being Iaconian glanced at Springer. He shrugged. "Polyhex forever?"
Huge laughter and insults greeted that lame response. Ratchet smirked. "Why aren't you and the ball and chain on duty?"
Drift smirked and ate an Oreo. Apparently, he had some to spare.
"We switched when we heard of the game. Half the squad's here, the slackers," Springer said as Lon and Bezel waved to Ratchet. Kup and Hercy were always wherever they wanted to be so no one was surprised.
"Why, Bezel and Lon … you're being corrupted by Springer. Good on you," Ratchet said.
Huge laughter arose, then the game began again. Cards were dealt, Oreos wagered and the grim business of being the slagger with the biggest pile of cookies in the end began again in earnest.
-0-In an apartment in the same tower
"Amma, what happened then?" Sunspot asked with rapt attention.
"Well, your ada then climbed the fence and ran like the wind," Ravel said with a grin. "He got paddled later on but he knew that going in. Your ada could be a real rascal when he wanted to be. But in the end, he became a good mech because he was and he didn't want to disappoint your appa and me."
"Ada sounded like fun," Hero said as she sat on the couch next to Amma Corr. Halo sat on Corr's lap as he helped her eat her good night cookie. All of them had stories before cookies but play had lasted all evening. Now they would go back to their apartment for bed and Appa Ratchet, his cat and Appa Chan would spend the night there with them. Amma Corr and Amma Docker would stay here. Ravel and Tie Down would be back up.
"Tell us about the time Ada broke that window, Amma," Sunspot asked. "What happened?"
Docker grinned. They had told all the stories they told tonight a dozen times but the children never tired of them. The idea that their ada was a little kid once was mesmerizing. That he was a little hellion when he wanted to be was outstanding. They couldn't get enough.
"Well," Docker began, "there was this mean mech who lived across the way from us. He had a ground floor apartment and he used to chase the kids off the streets where they could play. It was the only playground they had. So … they were playing ball, your ada and the other kids when he came out and caught it. He went back inside with the ball."
"Oh!" -five little kids still shocked that someone would do that to their ada
"What happened?" Sunspot asked with big optics, though he knew the story already
"Well, your ada didn't have anyone to go to. No one cared who was in charge and we were at work. He was being watched by Lando's amma who was inside at that moment. Your ada became so mad he picked up a rock and threw it through his window. Then they ran like the wind. That mech came out very angrily and tried to find who did it. He never did."
Appa Ratchet, Amma Corr and Appa Chan grinned at Docker who only told half the story. The mean old mech went to the police who yawned in his face. Then he decided to make a fuss himself. That was when the genitors of some of the kids he was accusing dragged him into an alley and settled it the Iacon way.
He never bothered another kid again. The kids never got their ball back. Stand off.
"How about bed time now?" Docker asked as she stood up with a half filled plate of cookies. No one wanted to go but they hugged everyone, followed them to their home, got ready, climbed into beds, were hugged again, then night lights went out.
Walking out, Corr chuckled. "Are you ever going to tell them the rest of the story, Docker?" he asked as Chan walked to Ironhide's chair to sit.
"When they have grandchildren of their own," Docker said with a chuckle. "Are you two going to be okay here?"
Chan and Appa Ratchet nodded, then hugged everyone. They walked out and the door closed. Relaxing into Ratchet's chair, Appa Ratchet glanced at Chan. "Are you ever going to tell them that the mechs who settled his hash were you and me?"
Chan grinned. "When the infants have grandchildren."
Appa Ratchet chuckled, then turned on the monitor. A great motocross was on so they watched it and ate Ironhide's fudge when they did. Life seldom got better than this.
-0-TBC 9-24-18 edited 10-2-18