The Diego Diaries: Stuff (dd6 540)
I have to use this =0= with my new writing program because if I use this -0- it automatically causes my strike through feature to drawn a line through it. SIGH!
=0=After the meetings
They walked out, Steiner and Lissie who would be heading for the Central Labor Hall where she had classes for officers including Ironhide for two joors. Steiner glanced at the others with a grin. "That was a fun meeting. Prowl hasn't changed in the important ways."
"No, he's still a good girl," Ratchet said with a smile. "We need you to come by tonight and meet the mob. And by the way, Prowl wants to tie one on. We usually end up in jail so if you want to go into the system, come with."
"Lissie told me about that. You're on. Give me warning. I think I saw a few friends coming here this morning. I have a lot of catching up to do," Steiner said.
"What's your assignment going to be do you think?" Raptor asked as they mosied onward.
"I'm not sure. Prime told me to take a few, then come in for a chat. I'm taking him up on it," Steiner said as they reached the other side of the street. Chatting a moment, Steiner, Lissie and Ironhide with Halo set off for class and the others went their own way.
Ratchet walked down the Metro and took a Blue Circle Line for a new building in the Big Metro District that would appear to have potential. The twins asked him to come and he hustled. Soon a Blue Line train was heading out on its much larger and longer circular route of the colony. He would get off in Retriarius and hurrying down sidewalk of the long wide main street to a huge building at the edge of town, one fought over by the big frames who were getting to be a bit envious of the amenities of the non sentient Autobot City. Flipping a coin, Retriarius won and the new boom soon to come was his to host. He was jazzed. The other seven cities were claiming the building themselves by proximity but it was his shining embellishment to crow about.
The slagger.
The Blue Line tooled onward and when it reached the Retro-Metro as some wag suggested for Retriarius, number 3 to be specific, he hopped off and hustled up the stairs. Outside, the big city gleamed in the sunlight as mechs and the occasional femme went about their business. Traffic was brisk and so were heavily laden trucks this early in the morning. Walking past two parked before a department store making deliveries, he crossed a new plaza at the border between the "Eight Ball" as the eight metro-titan cityscape was referred to (not to their faces) and the rest of the world beyond them. It was broad, held spaces for sitting, fountains for beauty and art pieces from the colony, some replicating famous ones from Cybertron.
The building was huge, a massive rectangle with clear steel windows soaring up a good 300 feet. Huge doors opened into it so he entered and paused in the marble tiled foyer that ran the length of the building. A long counter stood before doors that led into well lit rooms beyond. They were places where crowds would be streamed inside in an orderly manner with the numerous breaks in the counter space that linked up with the doors.
Comming the twins, he then walked to the middle one, entering through one of the turnstile type entries, then crossing the pathway into the huge room. Inside, it was an arena. There was tiered seating going up 300 feet, a giant four sided monitor that hung from the ceiling to show this and that to viewers and filling the floor space was a court. It was an over sized basketball court with hoops at both ends. Standing in the middle bouncing big basketballs, the twins grinned at Ratchet. They skated over and handed Ratchet a ball. "Hit the hoop, Ada," Sideswipe said with a smirk. "That one down there."
Ratchet looked at the hoop, did complex equations, then threw the ball. It went through the hoop without a swish.
The twins stared at the hoop, then Ratchet, then the hoop. "Frag." -both of them
Moments later in a brand new concession area …
They stood around a small but tall table that was designed to for dining without chairs. Eating some of the game food that was being tested by those coming in to look things over, they noshed on hot dogs and beer. Ratchet smirked. "They got this finished. I told Prime he had to be on a team if they built this. I suppose you are as well?"
"Slag, yeah," Sideswipe said as Sunstreaker nodded. "They're working out the rules now. It's going to be fast and brutal. My kind of game. If they would invent one more we would be triple threats."
"And you aren't now?" Ratchet asked. "Do they have teams, names, schedules? Stuff?"
"They do. We're on the Kaon team. They won't tell us the name but they're signing up players. The schedule is going to start in a few orns but they won't announce it until things are ironed out. Everyone knows. The teams are filled up already. They might play two seasons a year to handle all of it. Most of the Kavaliers are on our team."
"Hugh-E?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
"He's a defensive player. We're still working out the positions and rules. The plays and that sort of slag," Sunstreaker said. "Kaon will win. Another world championship."
"What about Cybertron?" Ratchet asked.
"We're going to let them watch a year, then check for interest. We're the Martian Adult Basketball League and the University is going to organize teams as well. College and professional. When they get rugby and soccer worked out, I may go pro all the way," Sideswipe said with a grin.
"I better get medical here. If footie is anything to compare with this, then we're going to need it," Ratchet said with a laugh.
"No doubt," Sunstreaker said with a grin.
"The humans are going to be stoked," Ratchet said.
"I don't know anyone who won't be," Sideswipe replied.
=0=Corridor of Power, The Fortress
"What is this rumor I hear about you joining a basketball team when the arena opens up?"
Prime glanced up at Prowl, then sat back. "What rumor?" he lied.
Prowl fixed him with The Look. "You are the spark and soul of our people and your integrity and dignity are beyond reproach. I heard the rumor."
"Well," Prime said throwing up his hands. "Rumors, Prowl."
Prowl nodded, then turned to go. "I thought so."
Prime watched him leave, then grinned behind a deeply, heavily firewalled firewall. / … rumors, Prowl … sometimes they're true … / With a grin, he continued onward leading his people down the Primrose Path to Glory.
Off court and on.
=0=In the Autobot City Sports Arena outside of the Eight Ball
Password sat in with Domino who would be heading up the basketball league that would be announced shortly. There would be eight teams and they would represent eight city-states that had been sports power houses on Cybertron. Kaon, Iacon, Vos, Tarn, Helex, Polyhex, Altihex, Simfur of all places and Not Praxus.
No, Not Praxus.
After much debate, they decided on different team names for those already represented in football. They would be Kaon Kowboys, Iacon Ions, Vos Volcanoes, Tarn Tramplers, Helex Hurricanes, Polyhex Prancers, Altihex Altitudes, Simfur Sensations and Not Praxus. By the time they got to the names they were into their second keg of beer. They thought the names had verve and style. What the people thought would be another thing.
"Those names are sort of rhymey. I wonder what Prowl will think when there's no Praxus to stack with ringers?" Kamlin of Tarn, the coach for Tarn's newest team said as he ate another hamburger with his fifth beer to 'stay sober'.
"Who cares?" -consensus opinion
"We can post the team rosters when we sober up. Muric is still working them out. There's a rumor that Prime is going to be on the Iacon team. I would pay shanix large to see that," Password said as he got more food and beer.
"Yep." -consensus opinion.
"Do we all agree on the rules?" -Domino, being the President of the League
"Yep." -everyone therefore
"Good. Deal the cards, boys. We have to sober up, review all of this for drunken lunacy, then get ready to tell the worlds. I think we got this finished ahead of schedule," Password said with a grin.
"Fifteen orns ahead. We must do this with booze from now one," Domino said as he began to deal the cards. The Hourly News would have a new sports story in about three joors.
=0=Three joors later on The Hourly News …
"And in for sports and weather, Combo of Velocitron. I heard a rumor, Combo. Maybe you can straighten this out for us about a new sport and teams for adult and college play here on world," Aleph said who knew the truth and sat back to enjoy the fun.
"Thank you, Aleph. Today, the new arena in the city of Retriarius is nearly ready to host a new professional league sport here on world with the option of it becoming available on Cybertron after this inaugural season," Combo began.
=0=Listening around the planet as well as Earth and the Empire, galoots included in the sequestered areas of Decepticon occupation in the Prime's territory …
Prowl glanced up, then gave a small space to the news. Maybe Praxus would field a team of whatever this was as well.
Raptor and Family paused to listen.
Ratchet and Family paused to listen, Ratchet with a grin as he kicked back at Club Hoyle with the Twins.
Prime's Family paused in their studies long enough to listen. Oh boy. A new sport.
Humans on and off world turned to the screens and radios around them to listen to a new Cybertronian sport, including the profane boys and girls of N.E.S.T. HQ.
FUCKING A!
Combo continued. "The sport being inaugurated here will be a Cybertronian version of the human game called basketball. The arena in Retriarius will be housing three professional sized basketball courts for multiple games and would hold 100,000 individuals for each. The teams have been announced and they are as follows … Kaon Kowboys, Vos Volcanoes, Simfur Sensations, Tarn Terrors, Helex Hurricanes, Iacon Invaders, Polyhex Panthers and Altihex Attitudes." Combo grinned. "I was informed by an insider that the names were adjusted before announcement given that some of them were created so under the influence of too much beer at lunch.
"The rules have been developed and will be announced in three orns due to the training of referees for the games is still ongoing. The schedule will begin in a decaorn and will be played three games every decaorn for 8 decaorns. Those with the most wins will face each other for the championship game. All of the games will be televised due to the lack of seating space for those who will want to come to watch. There are many rumors who is playing but they are just that, rumors. We will be carrying the games on the Sports Channel on IntraCom Two. It looks to be a very exciting way to fill the void left by our football season hiatus."
Prowl listened, then went back to work.
Prime listened, then grinned. / … hidey-ho … /
"You do know that Prime loves basketball. The rumors might be true," Ratchet said as he raked in the winnings.
Again.
"One can but hope. We are now going to kick your aft," Sunstreaker said.
They wouldn't. Ratchet being old and nefarious knew just that many more ways to cheat.
=0=N.E.S.T. HQ
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HOW DO WE GET TICKETS!?"
=0=Earth 1, 2 and the Consulate
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HOW DO WE GET TICKETS!?"
"MERDE! COMMENT OBTENONS-NOUS DES BILLETS?!"
"COME PRENDIAMO I BIGLIETTI!?"
=0=Sciences and The Resort
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HOW DO WE GET TICKETS!?"
"I HEARD A RUMOR! I HEARD THAT PRIME IS ON THE IACON TEAM!"
THUD!
"Uh, someone get some smelling salts. Lola just hit the floor."
=0=TBC 12-8-18