The Diego Diaries: Ho-Ho-Ho! (dd6 555)
=0=A day
Ratchet walked into his office and sat down to read the autopsy report of the murdered sub adult from the gang bang the night before. It was what he expected. There was blunt force trauma around the neck, head and shoulders, all of it delivered so powerfully as to strike the kid dead almost from first contact. The other three had head trauma as well, though two were expected to recover. One other was still on the border line and his rebuild had taken a lot of who he was away. He was a former high caste as was one other. The last victim was a low and their genitors had been at the Center all night long.
They were in intensive care awaiting time to pass which was the only thing that would tell anything to anyone thus far. He copied the report to Prime, Springer and Barron. They would take it from there. He and his department had done all they could do for now. It was maddening to him that it happened and sad in all the ways that mattered. He sat back a moment to ponder the trauma this meant for a lot of people, then sat forward to do his job. That part never ended no matter what.
It would be a quiet orn in the C.M.O.'s office on the 49th floor of Autobot City Medical Center.
=0=Cybertron
Prime and the Boyz landed, hopping down in the small village of Pyrex. It was once an enclave of former high castes who liked its picturesque views at the foothills of the Manganese Mountains. Now it was a burgeoning manufacturing center and camp for about 500,000 individuals who were rebuilding the surrounding area for general population and high tech industries to employ those who lived here. They were being retrained for something better than working down in the depths of Cybertron in the raucously noisy workings of the Great Primus Himself. Hearing loss had been epidemic and endemic here. Thousands of individuals had to have their audials replaced with thousands more on the list. Now they were doing something less damaging and equally necessary. It was a win-win all the way around.
Prime walked toward the welcoming party who greeted all of them, then led him and his party to the camp where they would be swamped with happy civilians, many of whom would applaud all of them for their prowess in 'that new game' which they 'liked an awful lot'. It would be a pleasant interlude talking to the people and walking through the housing, manufacturing and transport portions of the rebuild. This place was never going to be the way it was before. No one would slave down in the deep and live with the injuries of it. Those days were over.
The cows would be a hit, too.
=0=School here and there
They stood in a row getting their images taken, a line of little babies wearing Santa Prime hats. At each end wearing a Christmas tree suit, two infants smiled. Orion wore one and Olo the other. The rest stood between them grinning as they watched the school's photographer take their images for their school's vacation card for their genitors. Each class would have them taken, then they would be attached to their artwork that was going home for a Christmas Surprise present.
"TOTO! I LIKE THIS!" Orion said with a giant smile. He looked down at his body which was swathed in green. There were ornaments attached and lights that blinked. On his helm was a little star cap. Everyone else looked at him, then smiled. He grinned. "The shes like I, Orion. Cute this," he said patting his belly where the tinsel crossed.
Roto grinned. "I like it, too."
The shes spent a bit of time turning to each other to discuss how much they liked it as well. The photographer kept shooting for the school's yearbook website. Short videos of the gabfest and a few cute stills would find their place on the page for Group D of Sparkling Day School #1.
=0=School Part 2
"Then we can put them into the boxes you painted," Mr. Terradive said as he received several boxes of things from the art department of their school. "We can wrap the pottery in the paper you made for the present and the weaving can be rolled into a tube with a ribbon around it. All of it will fit nicely."
From different science stations, all of the kids of his class watched as the aides from art walked out with a smile. It was an exciting thing getting their presents together. Even the human kids had something beautiful and handmade to take home for Christmas Surprise.
"When you finish, we can finalize the party for tomorrow. You will come at the same time as usual, then we will have our party. When Santa Prime arrives or one of his helpers we can go there and you will be excused to your families. All of the human kids will go by bus to your habitats."
:Mr. Terradive, how many days do we have off for Christmas?: Rain Harris asked.
He glanced at her. "We have 10 days off. Some of the humans here are going to Earth for the holidays and some are having family members here for the first time. It's been the policy of the District to take a break this time of year not only for the humans but for us as well. A lot of families have planned things they want to do right about now so it works out for everyone." He grinned. "You have half a breem to finish."
They jolted, then turned back to their tasks.
=0=School Part 3
Coros and Pulley finished their science fact sheet then downloaded it to their teacher, Mr. B-7. His specialty was physics at the university level but he liked kids so he taught science here with three other colleagues. Coros and Pulley had risen from tutoring to full class attendance since hanging out with the Watch. They were stoked to do well and please mechs that they worshiped, mechs who were authentic and seemed to the kids to be heroic in stature.
Sitting back, they chatted quietly. "Commander Springer and Drift said that we can ride with them on a patrol next weekend. They aren't going to go anywhere that's dangerous and we have to stay put if they say so but they think it might be a good thing for us since we're considering that as a career," Coros said.
Pulley nodded. "That's going to be great. What about your genitors giving you permission? And the others?"
"I have permission. My genitors are so glad about my grades that they're not giving me any slag about this. I haven't told them that this is going to be my career eventually. I don't think they'd get it but I'm going to be a police officer," Coros said with a determined expression on his face.
"You and me both," Pulley said. "I have to tell them tonight. I'm going anyway. I have my grades higher now than I did in the settlement schools. I think they'll be glad."
They would.
About his grades.
The other stuff?
They said yes anyway.
=0=RTR Tools
Three mechs walked in to get their tool kits. They waited as Ravel pulled them off the 'will call' shelf where they waited for their new owners. Nearby filming the transaction, Leonora Huttle worked with her (now) four camera crew as they recorded the interaction. Ravel laid out the beautiful engraved boxes and explained the care and proper usage of the immaculate tools inside. They listened with a sense of awe as he showed how one took care of transparent steel tools that were covered in engravings and inlays of gold, silver and copper.
"This is beautiful, Master," one of them said as he bowed slightly. He was a master carver himself and a shop steward of the Mason's Guild. He was also intensely respectful of other artisans, these two in particular. They were famed and revered among those who made things and no one who used a tool didn't covet ones made by Tie Down and Ravel. Their client waiting list was astounding.
"These are yours. Do you feel the energy?" Ravel asked with a smile.
They held the tools, perfectly balanced and handmade, then nodded. "I do," the mason said.
"Then they accept you. Remember to always be worthy," Ravel said as he closed the tool cases and handed them the special kit all their tools needed to maintain them properly. "If you want to know how to do this or you forget, go to our website and there are videos there to show you."
"Thank you, Master," the mason said as the others bowed and gave their thanks. With big grins, four bruisers walked out the door with the kits. They would be HIGHLY envied by their peers.
:Ravel, what do you mean when you spoke about the energy?: Leonora asked.
Ravel peered over the counter, then grinned. "The tools, blades and other things we create choose their owners because everything everywhere has energy and a consciousness. They decide themselves what they want to happen after measuring the energy of those who want them. If they don't agree, they won't go. They won't work. Sometimes someone would come into our shop and try to take something or buy it when they weren't respectful or considerate. Especially the swords which are very holy. The blades are very aware."
:The swords and knives are sentient?: Leonora asked.
Ravel nodded. "They are. They're made a special way and they're sacred. They're imbued with consciousness. You have stories on Earth about the same thing. Swords held by heroes were sentient like Excalibur. There are stories about swords and daggers that are very important because they show that the humans understand this too, the elder ones. Swords were named and revered because they were alive. If someone is unworthy to have one of ours, they won't allow that individual to take them away. They will let them know."
:How?:
"They will spark them … surge energy into them like an electrical shock. It isn't much the first time but if they persist the blades will shock them with a heavy charge," Ravel replied.
:That means they can think:
Ravel considered that. "It would surprise you how many things can think, Leonora. If you understood energy the way we do and knew that you would have a totally different life on your world. We offer a blade of worth. It demands for itself a worthy home. If you can't provide that, they will make it clear that you won't be taking them away."
:Has anyone ever tried to do that?:
Ravel nodded, then grinned faintly. "Forgive me if I don't express the kind of sympathy I prefer to give to others on this particular thing. It takes a very long time to make them and the prayers and incantations that we place in them come from the Pantheon. They become sentient nearly right away so when they don't feel the bearer is worthy enough, they express their distaste. I have seen them surge so hard that the individual needed a doctor."
:Has that happened here?: Leonora asked.
"Actually, yes," Tie said as he came out with a blade he wanted to discuss with Ravel. "Someone came in several decaorns ago and wanted a sword. They were rude about it and when they pulled one from the display items over there," he said nodding to a row of magnificent swords hanging suspended in a gravity field display case, "it jolted him. He persisted and it blasted him. I saw the energy arc up from his servo and flash. He went down and we had to call the Watch medic to come and help him. He had a burned servo and a burn mark across his face. He didn't take the sword."
:Wow: -Leonora Huttle and her crew
=0=School Part 4
They gathered in a line for their afternoon treat. Prowler, Solus, Sojourner, Breakout, Resolve and a tiny femme named Dandy, all part of Green Group stood in a little row as they watched their aide set on their tiny table tiny cups of juice and a tiny cookie that was enriched with minerals that they needed at this age. It still tasted good anyway.
Mrs. Birdie was standing in front of them watching the placement of things when she felt someone hug her leg. Looking down, she grinned at Prowler who grinned at her. "I think its time for snacks, infants. Find your chairs."
They did and waited until they were given leave to eat. Mrs. Birdie would watch them, then walk to other rooms in the Preparatory Academy in its new home on the entire third floor of Autobot City Mall. Down below, RTR Tools was being filmed for a special about artisan industries. The first two floors had businesses doing box office. The top floor was the new home of The Circle of Light Preparatory Academy.
Mrs. Birdie patted a child, then walked onward to more infants in other parts of the school. The kids watched her go, then turned back to their treats. There was just something about Mrs. Birdie's pure white aura that they loved. It was interesting that among those who could see it, none of them were genitors.
=0=School Part 5
"Then we're going to the Valles after Christmas Surprise with the family," Tru said as he sat in his group for writing which only included among the titanic kids, Genesis.
"The titan family side," Genesis said as Tru nodded. "Our other family is going to stay home. I wished they could come but Ada said that was going to be too much with the little kids. They also expect some trouble from a migration they're tracking so the senior Autobots have been asked to stick around close."
"Sounds like fun. Who's going?" Mar-lee asked. He was a big kid, too. They liked to hang around together and were planning to be on the same basketball team when the kid's league was organized.
"All our relatives. The Supremes, the titans and the little kids, Swan and Teatro. Those two are so cute," Tru said with a grin.
"They're a 135 feet tall," Mar-lee said.
"I know. Babies," Genesis said as the group snickered.
"How is it going, infants?" a voice asked behind them, the voice of their teacher, Mr Ambient.
"Just fine, Mr. Ambient." -all of them as they bent to their tasks once more.
It would be good times just about everywhere.
=0=Out there
The ships ran with the group assisting when asked but doing little else. They were former Decepticons or maybe they still were. No one among the civilians knew and the group of Autobots who were part of their migration, one coming from another direction than any other before had no better idea either. They didn't bother to remove their sigils. The purple head of Megatronus was still there.
They had sent word to Prime given they were coming into range for communications due to enhanced arrays. The word was received and a message sent. 'Keep coming, don't do anything rash, we will come out shortly to see what's happening'. So they flew onward silently together, a tense and unknown group, two thirds of whom were heading for freedom and safety. What the other third was going to do was anyone's guess.
=0=TBC 12-26-18 edited 12-30-18
ESL
epidemic: something that sweeps through a group, like the flu, usually brought in by someone
endemic: something that is there all the time, like cactus in the desert