The Diego Diaries: Moving on. Sort of. (dd6 482)
-0-Morning
She stood at the window of her kitchen staring out. The sun was breaking over the dome of Olympus Mons. She was up and ready to leave for the orn, heading out to the center of the life of her family once upon a time. She had come in a migration two back and was separated from her family who she knew had made it to Oasis Base with the Knights. They would come and until then she would live and be happy. Having a beautiful little apartment in a colony where she mattered was almost debilitating. All was luxurious including the education she had sought out for herself. It wasn't something that they were used to even when they lived in relative comfort in Upper Tetrahex once upon a time, their ancestral home town.
She was enthralled with learning, with books and ideas. She was the daughter and grand daughter of scholars who worked for the Monastery of the Clavis Aurea of Upper Tetrahex. One of them, her amma was the living expert on Mortilius. They were all immensely respected and would be welcomed here with great happiness when they came. As it was, she used her time to attend school at the University, took classes in the scribe school in the Monastery as well and worked there when she had the time. It was like going into the most embracing and loving warmth for her to be at the monastery and help.
She cleaned up her kitchen, then walked to the door. No classes today so she would take the long way to the Monastery. There was still oceans of things she hadn't seen here, this place that had announced on the news last night that now stood at 28,000,000 individuals. It was exhilarating. She walked to the elevator in this, a mixed building and went downward. The colony was now spreading bachelors out in all the buildings rather than putting them all together. This way there was more youth opportunity to see what they wanted in their lives than just hanging out with other youths.
Outside, it was cold so she adjusted, then walked down the street to the metro. Going downward, she took a car that was heading for Aerie Hill. She loved their district which was beautiful. Many of them were Guiding Hand themselves, the Seekers, so it was familiar and comforting to be there. She rode along watching mechs and the odd femme like herself get on and off at their stations. When she reached hers, she departed the coach, then walked up to look around. Taking a sidewalk, she ambled along watching the Seekers take off and land here and there while families carried tiny children, those who weren't ready for school to playgrounds and other areas where they could eat, chat and gather.
Aerie Hill was an ornate and beautifully planned city. The enormous curved crescent housing buildings down valley from the hillside where she walked gleamed in the morning sunlight. Above her hugging the hillside that went up a crater a great distance held long rows of beautiful houses four stories high that lined a cobblestone side walk grid set of switchback streets, wide and open that wound along the curve of the hills. Children played on them and the sidewalks outside their buildings, their family members sitting on the stoop watching them as they chatted with neighbors and relatives, just like she was told they did on Cybertron back in the orn. Ornate wrought iron fences and light poles graced the city as did benches here and there to sit upon. She nodded to elders who grinned at her, this familiar little femme who was part of the Monastery, they said, whoever they were. She chatted with some, admired the babies of others, then reached the next station.
Going downward, she took the first train to Clavis Station 1. Clavis Station 2 was under construction and would be finished soon. She was glad because it would eliminate the scrutiny her appearance got when she walked the distance between the station near the Resort and the Monastery itself. Humans were very curious, she thought as she sped along the tracks. Stepping off at Station 1, she walked up and began her self conscious jaunt to the Monastery nearby. She heard that the Resort was planning excursions around on the ground and thus, the metro was made. She reached the gates that led to the huge building. Walking up to the Gatekeeper, she smiled and bowed. "Good morning."
Targus, the Gatekeeper grinned at her. "Good morning, Moni. How are you today? I thought you had school."
"Not today, Master. My instructors are meeting for the immigration influx," she said with a smile. "I thought I'd come here and help."
He grinned. "You do every time you come."
She smiled, then bowed again. Walking on with a spring in her peds, she made her way to the building that towered over both of them. He watched her go with affection, then turned back to his books, this stern and foreboding appearing individual.
Most of the time.
Her peds clicked across the floor as she made her way around the great room paying her respects to the individuals who made up the pantheon of the Guiding Hand. She bowed to the enormous statues, gave them her thanks, then she headed for the Great Room, the biggest and first scriptorium of the monastery. Entering, she walked quietly along the wall. Sitting at the long tables alone or in small groups, scholars, students, interested civilians and monks discussed, wrote and otherwise studied the endless array and astonishing variety of material seeking wisdom therein. Reaching the librarian's desk, she bowed. "Good morning, Master. I came to serve."
-0-At a bus line up at Youngling Day
Kids walked out with their book bags and began to climb into the buses that would take them to the airfield at the Municipal Interplanetary Airport in The City. They walked in to sit as their teachers joined them, then the big yellow school buses pulled out to carry them away. They would arrive at the airport just slightly after the buses with kids from Earth 1 and 2. The kids from Unidad would be coming as well but they weren't there yet, the 52 who were part of the group studying space. It would be a new and interesting experience for both sides of the species divide.
-0-Monastery
"I'm so glad, Moni," Darius, the librarian of the Collection of the Monastery said. "I have a number of requests. Could you find them if you can? I checked the inventory so they should be there but if its hard to get them or you can't find them, tell me and I will help you." He handed her a data wafer which she took with a smile.
"I will, Master," she said as she walked toward the elevator and the below decks levels that went down ten vast highly organized floors. There would be cavernous storage built in three other directions from this one as the Monastery was proclaimed a repository and restoration site for the endless treasures being reclaimed on Cybertron and around the empire's local group. It was endless and vast, the items retrieved, so they were brought here to conserve and protect. 99% of it was still being sorted but enough was available for the scholars to use so she hurried to the elevator and disappeared.
A short ride down to the fifth lower level floor started her quest. Taking a cart and a shoulder bag slung across her body, she walked down endless stacks and shelving that towered to the ceilings above. Finding what she needed, she pulled a ladder over that rolled on a track, then climbed up to the shelf in question. Finding what she needed, she put it in the bag, then pushed the ladder over as she stood on it, climbing down on lower rungs to get something else.
She finished here, then hit four other floors before getting what she needed. Stacking it on the cart, she pushed it to the elevator and rode upward. Pushing it out, she took the wafer into servo, then moved her stacks to the scholars in the room. Rolling it along, she located them, then gave them their materials. They smiled at her, thanking her for her help, then she moved onward light of spark. It would take a while to hit all the scriptoriums and the various classrooms of their school. When she was finished, she would do it all over again, getting some things and putting others back.
One of these fine orns, she would be a scholar taking something from a sweet eager worker and it would be the best orn of her life. It would be pleasant working in the library collection of the Clavis Aurea as sunlight streamed in through the windows.
-0-From the sublime to the ridiculous
He slammed to sentience, the cure kicking in as it was timed to do from a sentient moment the night before. Sitting up, Ratchet glanced around spotting no one there but himself. Laying back down, he waited for the fog to lift, then stood. Walking out to the living room, he noted that no one was there either, the place was immaculate as usual, Ironhide was missing and he was ravenous. Heading for the door with his sensors spread wide, he walked out to find someone.
Anyone.
Somewhere.
-0-Up there
Optimus Prime slammed to sentience as the timed cure Ratchet had earmarked for everyone at the party reached him. He stared at the ceiling, patted around for Prowl, then sat up. Laboriously standing, he walked toward the hallway to track down his little buddy.
Or anyone else in the big empty place.
-0-Nearby
Prowl came to sentience at the same time as everyone else. Slamming to awareness, he stood up in the bed prepared to fight anything that moved. Realizing he was in his home in a spare room, he stepped forward to climb down, hooked his ped on a blanket spread and face planted on the floor. The reverb went through the floor like a tsunami.
-0-Getting closer
Prime paused as a heavy thud was heard and felt. Walking that way, he paused before the open door of a suite. "Prowl?"
Prowl looked up groggily, then sat back on his heels. "I fell."
Optimus walked in and gently pulled him up. Then embraced each other tightly. "Does it hurt anywhere?"
"Only when I move," Prowl said with a slight snicker. "Where are we? What are we?"
Optimus chuckled, then read a message sent from Ratchet. "We are on our way to The Diner On the Corner."
"I better check the overnight dump," Prowl said as he swayed gently in the powerful grip of Optimus.
"Later," Prime said. "If it was necessary, we would know already."
Prowl nodded, then walked with Prime toward the door of their home and outward to where everyone else was.
Probably.
-0-Down below
RAP! RAP! RAP!
Ratchet rapped on the door, then peered inside. Groggy was the word as far as the optic could see. He opened it and stepped into Alor and Blackjack's apartment. Sitting in a chair trying to wake up, Alor rubbed his face with his servos. Lying on the floor with a tiny cow laying on his chassis looking at him with his big soft brown cowie optics, Flipper watched Ironhide as he struggled to wake up. Ratchet tapped Ironhide's ped. "Ironhide … wake up."
"I can't," he moaned. "I've been shot in the gut."
"There's a cow sitting on you, slagger," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
Ironhide blinked his optics, then stared at his chest. He grinned, then wrapped his arms around Flipper. "I love cows, Ratchet. I need one. Or three. We could have a cattle drive, all of us. Tiny horses and tiny cows." He sat up and hugged Flipper.
Alor finally came to his senses, then looked at the three. "What are you doing on the floor, infant? That cow is not going with you when you go. I'll shake your subspace myself."
"I WANT A COW, ADA! Atar brought home every slagging thing when I was a kid. How come I don't have a cow?" Ironhide asked as he staggered to his feet.
"Because," Ratchet said. "Pick up your pillow."
"Okay," Ironhide said meekly. He grinned. "Slaggers. I'm surrounded by slaggers. How about a pig, then? Or a kangaroo?"
"How about my ped up your aft, slagger?" Ratchet said as he sat down on the couch.
Blackjack staggered out, then grinned. "Unhand that cow, slagger. That's my best little buddy, not yours." He looked at Alor. "I don't see Scout."
"He's somewhere. Check the black market," Alor said as he stood and stretched.
"Bluestreak has him. Get him later. You have to go to Vegas and I have to go to Cybertron. Let's go tank up at The Diner," Ratchet said as he stood. "Besides, not everyone is accounted for yet."
With that, they ambled to the door and left.
-0-Down on the 34th floor of the same building …
RAP! RAP! RAP!
Ratchet opened the door, then walked in. "RAPTOR! HOW ARE YA!?" he asked.
Raptor was stirring but he was still face planted on the floor where he had tripped over an ottoman in the early morning. He rolled over to look at the noisy bastards fog horning him with their big slagging mouths. "Hush. My processor is in rebellion. It's about to flee my helm any minute now."
Ratchet scanned him, then transformed a digit. Jamming a needle into a neck line, he grinned as Raptor bellowed. Then he relaxed. "That's better, you malicious fragger, you."
"It is," Ratchet said as Alor, Blackjack and Ironhide stepped back from Ratchet with wary expressions. He grinned at them, then held up the needle digit. "WHO ELSE WANTS SOME!?"
"Frag you, slagger."
"Frag no."
"Alor does."
A hard rap on the noggin took care of that impertinence. Blackjack rubbed his helm, then stepped away from Alor. "Fragger. WHERE'S MY COW!?"
Alor patted his hold. "You snooze, big boy, you lose. He's coming to Vegas with me."
"Slag that," Blackjack muttered as he helped his big old dad stand up.
Raptor swayed a moment, then gripped Blackjack in a bear hug. Lifting him off his peds, he set him down. "Thanks, Sonny," he said, then turned toward the berth room. "GET A MOVE ON, OLD MECH! BACON IS WAITING FOR NO ONE!"
Turbine walked out, then punched Raptor in the gut. "I'm ready," he said with a big smile.
Raptor straightened back up, then frowned as he followed the bond and the rest of them to the door. "Caste Court, slagger," he muttered as the door closed on the rest. They were laughing their afts off as it did.
-0-TBC 9-27-18 edited 10-28-18