The Diego Diaries: Run Up (dd8 347)
=0=Moving onward
It was evening and the colony was settling down, that is, the part that was heading homeward toward families. That part that was heading to dinner, dancing, clubs, games and other pastimes in the evening were buzzing along on highways and walking through the entertainment districts of the colony. Soon there would be the first games of the basketball league and Retriades would be the place to see and be seen. Two hundred thousand individuals would crowd into the stands while others would watch at home, in bars, at clubs and everywhere else.
Basketball was becoming the shit.
"So you sneak off then to practice?" Ratchet asked as they lounged in their chairs.
"We do. I'd like more time and so would the others but we get it in, together or in smaller groups. The warehouse in the Packing District at the Parks is just the spot." Ironhide sipped his beer. "I like basketball. I, IRONHIDE LIKE BASKETBALL! I will tell you its sort of fragged the be the goalie all the time though."
"The humans don't use goalies in basketball," Ratchet said. "They tell me that we're insane."
"I, IRONHIDE AM STRATEGICALLY INSANE!" He grinned. "We're going to clean up this year, too."
"I hope so," Ratchet said. "I have a reputation to maintain. Who ya playing in the first game?"
Ironhide grinned. "Kaon."
=0=Elsewhere
Raptor sat beside his son on the couch as they drank beer, played with Scout and watched the cows ignore his pleas to play. Raptor glanced at his son. "We have two more sessions before the game. Any qualms?"
"Nope," Blackjack said. "I'm going to enjoy slagging those twins."
"They might just slag you back," Delphi said as he turned up the news broadcast.
"Good evening, this is Lim-Lee with The Hourly News. Tonight, we're going to be updating the colony on the repairs from the attack by the renegade battle group led by the Decepticon Commander Paladin, report on some new additions to the colonial infrastructure, take you on a tour of the greenhouses of Prima Station and then give reports on the various communities that make up our metropolitan area. Tonight, we take a tour of the extension of the Hu-An's high tunnel greenhouses and the repairs made to Unidad Terra 1.
"Also in the news, Autobot Nation Business Agent Samuel Witwicky of Earth will be having a bonding ceremony with Carly Brooks Spencer who manages Unidad with Lord Optimus officiating in a Praxian style ceremony. Following that the traditional ceremony of his species will be held in the newly repaired Chapel in the Trees at Unidad with Pastor Millie Jenkins of Earth supervising. More news on that will come later on in the broadcast along with sports, business and weather.
"For now, lets check in with Jacx and Pauo in Terra and at the site of the Sparkling Day School for updates. Jacx? Are you there?" Lim-Lee asked.
Jacx appeared on the screen standing in front of the newly rising Full Circle building. "Good evening, Lim-Lee. I'm standing here in front of the business that was Full Circle, the flagship location for the Circle of Light. This was one of the first businesses created in the colony and was quite the community center. I talked to the cafe director, Edict of Iacon about the business and when they hoped to move back in."
The camera cut to Jacx and a slightly nervous Edict standing in front of the scaffold enclosed building. Jacx turned to Edict. "I'm talking to Edict of Iacon who ran the cafe in Full Circle. Tell us a little bit about it and what you did to create what we hear was a very happy community gathering spot of the neighborhood locals and others."
Edict glanced at the camera, then turned slightly toward Jacx. "This was a very happy place and served the Circle community, especially the schools as well as the neighborhood. Elders and disabled, those recovering from illness or injury and those who liked the atmosphere of this place would come and spend time here. The cafe was always busy and so was I. All of the locals are friends and I miss them so much."
"What new things have been designed for the building? I hear that they've expanded it a bit," Jacx asked.
"They did. The weaving section is going to be bigger and the cafe is twice the size it was. There will be more tables and the lounge next to it will be twice its former size as well. The retail portion is going to be split up over two floors with the top floor of our potion of this building being held for meetings, groups and the like. The Circle does a lot of good things for our people. Its going to be bigger and more capable of providing opportunity and space for people. Everyone is welcome here," Edict said.
"Thank you, Edict. I can't wait to see it open again," Jacx said. "Back to you, Lim-Lee."
"Thank you, Jacx. Next we turn to Pauo at the Sparkling School just blocks away. Pauo?" Lim-Lee asked.
A handsome youngster with bright optics appeared in front of the school. "I'm standing in the street in front of Sparkling Day School in Terra. Just shortly ago a shuttle which was diving in its mortal throes hit the street, slid for hundreds of meters, then slammed into the lobby of the school. One of its bombs became unracked, bounced on the ground, then detonated in the main retail area of Full Circle just down the street.
"That building was burned to the ground, a fifteen story business building that was undergoing renovations when the incident occurred. Fortunately, the only business that suffered losses was Full Circle. Here at the Sparkling school, structural engineers examined the building in great detail finding it relatively sound in spite of the crash.
"It took a lot of work to repair the lobby and the first fifteen floors which had cracks all the way up the sides of the rear of the building which were unseen until they were inspected. Repairs made them safe and the school after a complete rebuild of the lobby and elevator system was reopened again. Its surpassing code standards as we would expect for our children and classes are back to full throttle. The holes in the road where the shuttle bounced are also repaired. All in all, its miraculous that it was only this difficult. Back to you, Lim-Lee."
Lim-Lee smiled. "We're going to take a moment for The Community Bulletin Board to run some messages, then we're going to be speaking to Senior Commander Jazz of Kaon, director of the Office of Strategic Communications about IntraCom's repairs and the latest information on the location of the group that committed the attack against us. Please stay tuned."
The bulletin board began to scroll.
=0=At the hotel
"Looks like lunch is another winner."
Ironhide nodded. "I remember some of this from my own schooling. It was made by hand at my …" He paused, then looked at Ratchet. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be," Ratchet said. Then he grinned. "Much."
Ironhide grinned back. "Tell me about the high castes you're going to punch with the skwad."
"You like calling it that?" Ratchet asked.
"Sorta sings," Ironhide said with a chuckle.
"Speaking of singing … when are you going to answer your grand genitors calls?"
Ironhide frowned. "I'm not going to sing in any recital."
"I was told you sing like a canary," Ratchet said. He grinned. Scout and Trooper were NEVER going to give up on their little mech. "You should do it once and then its done."
"I, IRONHIDE DO NOT SING FOR ANYONE!"
"Should I call and tell them?" Ratchet said as he reached for a handheld laying on the couch.
"No," Ironhide said as he grabbed the handheld himself.
"Welcome back. I am Lim-Lee with The Hourly News. I would like to welcome Senior Commander Jazz of Kaon to the program. You are the director for the Office of Strategic Communications with Senior Commander Blaster of Iacon. I would like to know about the update for the repair of IntraCom. I know we're sitting in it but there has been little news broadcast for the citizens. Perhaps you can tell us how that's going, Commander."
Jazz smiled, a terribly handsome thing with his visor and finials. "Most of the damage is fixed and because it is its probably stronger than before. Given its location, IntraCom gets a lot of abuse. It was nearly gutted when Omega Supreme crash landed in front of it and now this. Its just an occupational hazard I guess."
"What's left to do? I know the big studios where the television programs are made are finished but what about the outside?" Lim-Lee asked.
"The filming will begin again in a couple of orns. All of the broadcast areas and technical parts of the production end of things are back online. The grounds outside need work. The art will be replaced and hopefully being near the airfield won't be such a problem again," Jazz replied.
"I hope so as well," Lim-Lee said. "What is the latest information that you can give us about the battle group that did this? What can you tell us about Paladin?"
Jazz sat back in his chair. "The battle group is quite a way away from here and we're tracking it as it goes. We don't have the Triggers yet. The two survivors are monitoring planets and helping at the Saturn Shipyard. We can pinch one in an emergency. The two are just being assembled and it takes time to do that and calibrate them. We can bridge out through the smaller Autobot City Space Bridge or borrow a Trigger. The group's position is being monitored and we know what they're doing.
"As for Paladin, he's a very smart and capable phase six Warrior Elite who works with his partner, another one. Most of them don't get along. These two do. Its going to be interesting to see what he does. He wants to hook up with Razorclaw and Ominous. That isn't going to happen."
"Then we're at a draw?" Lim-Lee asked.
"You could call it that," Jazz said with a grin.
"Thank you, Commander. We turn our attention now to an expansion of the Museum of Cybertron and Mars. There have been several galleries to the main building to showcase artifacts such as knives, swords and personal affects of notable figures in our history. They were destroyed when Omega crash landed necessitating not only a rebuild but an expansion for objects that have been waiting for space to be displayed.
"Several hundred thousand meters of space have been added and the much needed rise to the building is underway. There will be three more stories added to the main building which will be given over to eras of our history and display not only items and artifacts but allow interactive displays for visitors to use. There will also be an expansion of the restoration unit as reported by its director, Jade of Crystal City. Its long overdue given the fact that the museum is one of the designated repositories of recovered cultural treasure.
"In other news, the Hu-An have been working on different experimental genetic plant projects for Earth and have given us a tour of their remarkable high tunnel greenhouses. Aleph will tell us about it now," she said as the scene changed to Aleph and Larc together in a beautiful glass sided building that seemed to go on forever.
"Larc, this is very intriguing. Can you tell us what you're doing here with these plants," Aleph.
Larc would be pleased to do so.
Carly would be pleased to watch it. The flowers for her wedding at the chapel and the bouquet in her hands would come from the Hu-An and their genius greenhouses.
It would occur in the morning at 10 am.
=0=TBC 1-18-2022
ESL:
Skwad: (sk-Waaaaaaah-duh) Someone was mocking someone's squad and I'm still laughing. :D:D:D
qualms: (kwalmz) Worries or cares.
