The Diego Diaries: Ho-Ho-Ho Hoops and Who? (dd6 547)
=0=In the Chapel In The Trees, Unidad Terra 1 that afternoon
She walked up to the chapel where she had three more boxes to move of newly arrived books, videos and other information that related to all of the religions and philosophies including atheism and 'non-traditional' points of view as related to Earth and her people. She was establishing a lending library for everyone here to use as they wished, filling it with everything from the I Ching to The Basics of Wicca. She was determined that all of the views of everyone possible would be honored and supported. She had five boxes already in the room which would be a library reading room downstairs in the maze of spaces that had been built for just such things.
There was a permanent room for yoga, a permanent room for a mosque as well as a permanent room for study groups and other spaces. She even started a daycare for children staffed by the enthusiastic spouses of some of the scientists. She was almost in a delirium of happiness since she had her family relocated here to be the chaplain for the human community over all. There were others who would be resources for all other points of view but she was the one who ran the chapel and helped anyone who crossed the threshold of this place. There were even two weddings scheduled here shortly, one Hindu and the other Japanese. She was stoked.
She walked into the vast beautiful chapel, then paused before her remaining boxes. Someone was sitting on a bench staring at the beauty outside. She was an older woman, wore a long red dress, a long white sweater and wore a black knit cap on her short graying red hair. She was average in height, not someone who would stand out in a crowd but there was a sense about her of great age, wisdom and kindness.
Millie didn't usually bother anyone who came here other than nodding with a smile so that they could think and do what they came for. Several Catholics came here in the morning to pray or recite the Rosary. Some came to just absorb the beauty and solitude of this place. This one appeared to be staring into the green grove of trees and bushes that were planted along the back windowed wall of the chapel. She felt compelled to walk to her and she did, sitting on a bench quietly. It felt rather sacrilege to even speak to her but she couldn't help herself.
The woman looked at her, her light blue eyes filled with kindness, love and wisdom. Millie felt it, something more to her than the usual person she met. "Hello. Welcome to the Chapel In The Trees. I'm Millie, the chaplain."
The woman grinned. "I know."
She was older, perhaps late 60's and had lines around her mouth and eyes that showed a life lived and humor shared. She wore wire rimmed glasses and no ornamentation beyond a small round medallion on a long cheap chain. It was black on one side and multi-colored on the other. It changed its striations with the light. Her hands reflected her age and her body type was neither fat nor thin. She was a very average plain appearing woman.
Millie glanced around. "When did you come to Mars? Are you a worker or dependent? I like to meet families. There's so many nice people living here and everyone is so excited."
The woman nodded. "I know. It's how it's supposed to be. I'm not a resident here." She grinned, then stood. "I do love this play though," she said as she walked down the aisle to the main one, then walked forward to the simple stone altar in the front.
Millie turned in her seat to watch her, this strange figure and as she did the woman reached the altar. Then she vanished. Millie stared at the empty space where a woman had stood then rose slowly. She felt her heart pounding in her ears as she walked out from her aisle and toward the spot where a woman had been but wasn't now. Nothing about the space was strange or out of sorts but Millie was. Turning hesitantly, she looked back then ran for the door and her segway parked in the little parking lot outside. She hopped on and buzzed swiftly toward the city nearby.
=0=Moments later
A handsome man stepped out of a search and rescue vehicle, one who was tall, lanky like an athlete and who had fire engine red hair. A tiny Autobrand marked his right cheekbone on his nearly impossibly handsome face as he walked toward a cab stand at the edge of the parking lot. He called for one and when it came hopped into the tiny white convertible and away Ratchet of Iacon in pretender gear sped for the City Hall.
=0=In Carly Brooks-Spencer's office at City Hall moments later
Ratchet lounged in a comfortable chair as he listened to Chaplain Millie talk about an apparition that had appeared in the chapel, been suitably enigmatic, then vanished into thin air. She was calmer than she was earlier but her fear wasn't of the apparition but the idea that some new syndrome had just raised its helm before the world.
"And that's why I'm sort of … emotional about this, Doctor. I wonder if I'm having some sort of new form of Autobot City Syndrome happening here. I don't have problems with spirits. Its rather what my work centers around, the idea of the spirit continuing with grace. However … this was so real and I've never had an experience like this so I came here to report it. Maybe we discovered something new we all need to think about and watch for."
Millie stared at Ratchet hopefully as he considered the information before him. "You've never seen this woman before, not here or on Earth?"
"No," Millie said.
"I ran a computer check on everyone who is here including those coming for the holidays through personnel and the visitors identification databases and though we have older women here those few don't look at all like her," Carly said.
"Then we have to think about two paths. If it is a new syndrome then we can deal with it through mental health. Even though we aren't organic, we're very skilled at helping those who have these kind of problems. The other path is simpler. We might consider that the apparition was just that, a spirit sighting of some kind. We ourselves have that happen to us often. We're energetic beings with more experience than you and we can read energy. Mama Fig is clairvoyant and can see things that no one else can that are actually all around us.
"She told me that Ron Witwicky has a dog from when he was a child with him all the time in a spirit form. I don't know if she told him that but she told me when she mentioned a few ghosts around town. Some can see them. Do you have that ability? All humans do but most don't use or know how to use it," Ratchet asked.
"No. I've never had this kind of experience before. I've felt spiritual presences before but never did I see one. This one was so real I knew that I could touch her and she would be solid," Millie said.
Ratchet nodded. "Ratchet to Prowl."
"Prowl here, Loon. What are you doing at Unidad? You have to be at Diego for the data that I needed yesterday," Prowl's voice said over Carly's speaker phone.
Everyone grinned at each other.
"Prowler, everyone can hear you."
It was silent a moment, then the voice was back. "This is Prowl. I don't know who that other person was on my line. How may I help you, Doctor Ratchet?"
Carly and Ratchet laughed as Millie grinned, relaxing at last in her chair.
"Well, Prowler, we have a problem here. We either found a new syndrome which I don't favor or we have a ghost at Unidad. I need a seer. Can we get one brought over here from Cybertron? I think the Temple has a listing of their Guild membership thus far recovered," Ratchet said.
"They do. I'll send for one. Stay there and nail this down. I want a report, Ratchet," Prowl said. "Oh and this is news blacked out until we figure it out. Carly? Millie? Understood?"
"Understood." -Millie and Carley
"Roger and wilco that, Prowler," Ratchet said.
There was a pause, then a sigh could be heard. "You're never going to be normal are you?"
Ratchet snickered. "Would you have it any other way?"
"Is that rhetorical? Prowl out."
Ratchet grinned at the two women. "He loves me."
=0=At Ops Center, the Bridge Room
Prowl waited as a bridge swirled. Out of it walked an elder, one with the many markings, prayers and poems of protection that all seers wore. The tiny decal of their guild was on his shoulder and he was as wise and calm looking a figure as Prowl had ever seen among their kind. That was normal and usual.
Chevron walked forward and bowed. "Hello, Obsidian. Thank you for coming. We have a need in a habitat for our humans."
Obsidian bowed, then nodded. "I am here to serve. There may be no more information given to me until I request it, Lord Chevron. That is the path before us."
Chevron nodded. "I know. This is Commander Prowl, sub commander of Lord Optimus and his bond."
Obsidian bowed. "Greetings. Please give my warm regards to your bond, Commander. I hope some fine orn to meet him but it would appear that he's on Cybertron today."
Prowl nodded. No one would know where Prime was especially if on Cybertron. His schedule for security purposes was never publicly released. Only the Ops Center was privy to that information. Ops Center and apparently seers. "Welcome, Master. We are in need of your services. If you could follow me."
He did.
=0=At that hatch doors of Unidad Terra 1
Humans who had seen them walked to the doorway to watch as Prowl and another mech drove in and parked. After a moment, they both flashed to life as humans. Prowl was his usual self, extremely handsome, tailored and professional. The other was more casual and looked intense. He was older, white haired and he was looking all around himself as he clenched and unclenched his hands.
Ratchet grinned, then turned to the women. "Carly and Millie are in need of help and reassurance, I think. This is not normal among humans and they want to know if there is anything they need to do or if there is someone's soul in need here."
Prowl nodded, then turned to the man with him. "This is Obsidian. He is a master seer from Simfur who is an elder in the Seer Guild. He is here to find out what this means and help us figure this out. Master, the space is yours."
Obsidian nodded. {Shall we go to the place where the interaction occurred?}
"We need to go to the place where the event happened," Prowl said as he translated the NeoCybex.
Millie nodded, then pointed to a pick up truck with seating in the back. "I'll take you there, gentlemen."
They walked to the truck, climbed in and away they went. Going with them were a number of humans who had seen them come in. Others would be taking selfies beside and in front of the search and rescue vehicle and the patrol car that were parked in the motor pool for social media.
=0=Arena
They walked through the building going over every corner of it, testing the monitors that hung over the middle of the court to allow close up viewing for the punters, all of the sound systems, the admission system out front and the equipment for the game. The new employees of the Autobot City Sports Arena at Retriades were on it like ugly on an ape as someone's appa somewhere always said.
Maybe.
Jazz and Blaster along with Mirage and Revet were there to do a joor show with the M.C.A. sportscasters about the game and its rules, changes from human versions of basketball and other perversions of the sport. They walked to a camera set up at mid court in the middle arena floor where they sat down in chairs to discuss with the humans on a big monitor nearby what it all would mean.
Hap who was a senior director of special events for IntraCom was running the broadcast, then did the countdown. "Three … two … one … you are live."
Jazz smiled. "Hello, humans. This is Jazz, Mirage, Blaster and Revet of Autobot City here to discuss with you the upcoming marvel we call Cybertronian basketball. How are ya doing there, boys and girls?"
A panel waved and smiled. "JAZZ! Everyone! Hi. We're so stoked to do this broadcast. We are going to be carrying the games here at the M.C.A. for worldwide broadcast so we need to know what's going to happen. I will say that if basketball is as great as football is, then I may apply to immigrate to Mars," Morley Diamond said with a grin.
"We'd be pleased to have ya," Blaster said with a chuckle. "I can understand your interest. We've taken the game and given it our own little twist. We have ball games like this on Cybertron but they don't get played this way. Some of them are lethal if you know what I mean. This one is strictly a ripoff of Earth and your game unlike Cybertronian football which is our own game and rules."
"What is the game going to be like, boys?" Morley asked as the human panel settled back to be highly entertained.
They would be.
=0=Chapel In The Trees
They stood by the door as the seer walked into the room. He spread his arms wide as if to capture something and he was. He was using his abilities to detect any energy presences that were out of the ordinary or unusual. He walked slowly forward glancing all around himself, then he paused. He dropped his arms and raised his hands, holding them palms outward. He closed his optics as if to listen blindly.
It was tense. Very, very tense.
=0=Basketball broadcast
"Then Tarn and Iacon are facing in the first series of games. That means … be still my beating heart … Grimlock and Optimus Prime are on opposing teams," a woman said, Laurie Parnell.
"Yes. Isn't that great?" Revet said with a smile.
"Will Grimlock be allowed to breathe fire?" Laurie asked.
"No. But Grim is sort of … unconventional," Mirage said with a smirk.
"IF HE BLOWS FIRE I'LL PERSONALLY BEAT HIM WITH A HAMMER!" Revet interjected. "WE ARE *NOT* SAVAGES!"
Blaster grinned at him. "Tell that to Grim."
=0=In an apartment in the Hangar District
"Heh-heh-heh … consider it told," Grimlock said softly as he watched the broadcast.
=0=In a ship flying to the northern city-states of Cybertron
Watching a screen of the panel discussion on the M.C.A., a ship full of smirking mechs and Optimus Prime heard Revet and Blaster. Hercy glanced at Optimus who was smirking slightly himself. "Do we consider you told as well, Prime?"
Optimus Prime, basketball aficionado and all around competitive Tyrannosaurus Rex grinned. "I think you can, Hercy."
HUGE laughter.
=0=TBC 12-17-18 edited 12-20-18
Ghosts are canon in TF's. Starscream can't die because his spark is immortal somehow. He was in a highly entertaining ep called Starscream's Ghost. :D