The Diego Diaries: Callow (dd8 397)
I was sick as a dog. I don't know why I was but I did see a white light nearby. I didn't go in. I wanted to. LOL! So here we go!
=0=Ironhide
He stood on the deck muttering to himself as all around him his elders and the others enjoyed his predicament. No one felt he wouldn't win. He was wildly popular among his constituents and they always knew if they asked him about something he would either do it himself or give them an answer within joors. What they enjoyed was his grumpy face and irritated energy. It reminded them of hundreds of times when he was smaller and any of them said, "no".
They were approaching the last two settlements, small ones that were close together. They were gathering up one and were receiving the other through bridges. There were nearly 50,000 individuals on board with the last bit loading as Ironhide walked to the elevator to go down to the deck.
It stopped on the bridge deck which was humming. He walked out to watch and assist where he could. Down the way pallets of things brought by the refugees, some of them pitifully small and the odd coffin were being loaded carefully by his soldiers. It was so on the other titan, Fury as they were sharing the load to give everyone maximum comfort. When things were accomplished and every scan came up negative for stragglers, they would go back along their path to complete their task.
For him it would be the most enjoyable part of the mission.
=0=Topside two joors later
Hardie glanced at the pilot. "Take us back."
The pilot nodded, checked with everyone in the fleet, then began the intricate process of leading the turn around of a massive fleet of giant and small ships. The Seekers had come aboard the titans so it was a streamlined battle group that began to come back the way they came.
Standing at Tactical with a grin on his face, Ironhide awaited The Word.
Snickering in their off line chat, his elders watched him out of the corner of their optics, reveling in the memories of a little mech who liked to push buttons. Any buttons. Especially theirs.
Hardie swiveled the command chair toward his beloved great etc grandson. "At will, Ironhide."
Ironhide grinned broadly. "Thanks, Appa," he said, then touched a button on the panel.
Down below on world reflected on the screen forward visual, the entire settlement blew up into fragments. Grins were had at the sight and all the others as they flew past each of the 52 settlements, ignited munitions planted when they left and watched it fall into dust. Even the big ones fell to bits given the precision of the sappers.
It was totally satisfying.
To Ironhide.
Ratchet watched him with amusement, gratified to see his aura brighten. The big lug did love a good munition. It would take a while to blow them all up but he would with gusto, growing more relaxed and pleased as he did.
Meanwhile, outside and nearby …
Shadowing the fleet was a five ship scouting group of Decepticons who had been on patrol in the area for some time. They'd picked up the signal of a fleet of unknown ships nearby that appeared out of nowhere and came as close as they could, hiding behind a pile of space debris to watch the most gigantic ships, multiple, float past them heading for this and that planet and rocky fragment accompanied by more ships and surprisingly, Seeker flights.
They'd followed the entire time watching the vessels as they gathered together what appeared to them as Cybertronian refugees. They hadn't been aware they were there because this was the first patrol this way. Their surprise was genuine along with their startled amazement, growing dread and all around angst.
The Autobrands were unmistakable.
The Autobots had metrotitans, plural, at call.
The flight captain stared at the screen, then his four crew mates. "I didn't see no titans, right? No intruders. Did you?"
His crew mates stared at him silently, then shook their helms. "Nope," they all replied.
The captain called the other vessels with him. "You didn't see that did you?" he asked.
There was a momentary pause, then the other vessels replied in kind.
:Nope:
They would shadow the fleet, then watch it finally leave with the destruction of the last, a large colony. It would blitz away into a massive, MASSIVE space bridge which would appear out of nowhere. Then things would be the same as they were before.
They would be alone again.
They would be stuck in a crappy outpost eating terrible energon and sleeping in a crappy barracks without any entertainment value to break up the MASSIVE boredom.
It would work on their last nerve for a while.
Then they would do something about it.
=0=Back home at last
They came into the orbit of Mars without incident. It would be commented upon for a long time, the two highlights of this trip. One, the ease of their insertion, extraction, then bug out. Two, the cuteness of 'little mech's cute little face' when he found out about Callow.
Neither of them would help Ironhide with his own MASSIVE angst.
They walked to the bridge room of Camber, then checked the data.
"We look good here," Hardie said to Dai Atlas and Star Saber. "Let's go down to the Port and check there."
They walked out to the bridge room and were on the ground in seconds.
=0=Port of Autobot City, Immigration and Bureau of Refugees, Port Authority District 1, Mars
They stood to one side together watching the show as thousands of tense, tired, relieved and excited refugees stood in lines to be granted their citizenship again, checked for priors and given a new life in the new world of their next step. It was palpable, their happiness and relief.
"Well done, Dai, Star," Hardie said as he turned to two old friends from way back. He shook their servos. "This is the best day here when it happens."
Dai grinned. "I know. I'm glad they can come straight here. I'm revising my plan and if you could tell Prime I'd appreciate it. I'm going to cut out steps for those who are fit and ready to come here. If they don't come first to Omega base, then it helps us a lot."
"I'll tell him," Hardie said as the crowds slowly advanced. He grinned. "Did you notice the ships that shadowed us?"
Dai laughed. "I did. I hope they tell their commanders about us but I have a feeling they might not."
"From your audials to The One," Hardie said with a chuckle.
They would watch a while, wrap it up, then Dai Atlas and Star Saber would bridge back to Fury. That redoubtable mech would be going with them to be the platform of choice for those who would be coming straight to the colony from their settlements. Prime would okay it with gratitude.
=0=Ops Center a short time later
"This was very satisfying," Optimus said to his leadership as they lounged around the command table. The briefing had been a huge relief to him. "I am very happy with your efforts."
"Thank you, Optimus," Hardie said with a grin. "It wasn't all beer and skittles, however."
"How so?" Prime asked as the group noshed on donuts and hot drinks.
Ironhide was enjoying a chocolate donut with sprinkles.
"We found out that Ironhide has an opponent in the next School Board election," Hardie replied with a grin.
Ironhide frowned as he glanced at his appa. "I'm glad you find that funny, traitor."
"That's General Traitor, infant," Hardie replied with a chuckle. "And the most satisfying part is that his opponent was his nemesis bot as a child. Think Orion and Han."
"Well, isn't this just dandy," Prowl said with a snicker. "The acorn didn't fall far from the tree."
"Frag you, Prowl. I bet if I asked Miler he'd tell me about your slaggers, too. Maybe I can look them up and find them, then dump them on YOUR doorstep," Ironhide said to his fellow Praxian, the traitor.
"I don't have slaggers," Prowl LIED.
Ratchet patted Ironhide's arm. "Don't worry about it, Only One. I'll look them up for ya," Ratchet said with his best smile.
Prowl frowned at him deeply.
Prime grinned. He loved it when Prowl frowned.
Especially if it wasn't at him.
"Good luck finding what isn't there," Prowl said. FOOLISHLY.
"I don't need no luck, slagger," Ratchet said as he raised his servos. "These servos, THESE HOLY SERVOS that make crooked things straight can find anything."
"While you're at it, Ratchet, see if you can find a mech named Cisco of Praxus," Hardie said as he glanced at Raptor.
Raptor's hilarity fell of his face and shattered into a million bits of shock and surprise on the floor. "What?" he asked with the deepest betrayal.
"Cisco who is of the House of Pronto and Calligan. That one." Hardie grinned. "Might as well make it a trifecta of sadness."
HUGE laughter greeted that excluding Prowl, Ironhide and Raptor.
"Who's Cisco?" Blackjack said.
"He's my version of Tempo," Raptor said grumpily at his son.
"Tempo. Frag him," Blackjack said with some heat. "I haven't seen him since … what are you doing, Ratchet?"
Ratchet had pulled a data pad from subspace and was taking notes. He smiled at Blackjack. "Is it Tempo with one O or two?"
HUGE LAUGHTER from everyone but Ironhide, Prowl, Raptor and Blackjack.
All four of them glared at Hard Drive.
"Who's your slagger?" Prowl asked darkly.
Hardie grinned. "The Quintessan who ordered Delphi's sale. I don't think you need to look for his sorry aft. I took care of it. Thanks anyway."
Ironhide stared at his Appa. "I HATE IT WHEN YOU TELL THINGS LIKE THAT!"
Everyone looked at Ironhide noting his sincere emotional upset.
"Its long over and his sorry aft won't be hurting anyone else, infant," Hardie said gently. Then he grinned. "Callow on the other hand … we'll all help you there."
"We will," Ratchet said. "I already got my gorilla suit ordered."
Everyone glanced at Ratchet.
"Gorilla suit?" Prime asked with a growing smile.
"Yes," Ratchet said with great personal pleasure. "The one I'll wear when I stand on street corners in his district holding a sign that says 'Vote for Ironhide for School Board'."
Bedlam.
=0=A joor later
They walked out servo-in-servo toward the underground to go to Terra to get Orion and Praxus. Everyone else parted out the kids and they won. Two, anyway.
"You don't really have a gorilla suit do ya?" Ironhide asked as they crossed the street at the junction.
"I do," Ratchet said. "It was part of my ensemble for the basketball season but I'll make it work double time. I'll add the sign to the gorilla suit and wear it to a game. Prowl will approve."
"Prowl will throw you over the side," Ironhide said with a chuckle.
They reached the Metro, walked down and caught an Orange Line train that would take them directly to Terra and pass through the Sparkling Day Underground Station along the way. Sitting down in a half empty car, they grinned at each other.
"The gorilla suit is genius. Don't tell anyone," Ironhide said as he squeezed Ratchet's servo.
"I sort of felt it would be. Who doesn't like a gorilla?" Ratchet replied as he leaned against Ironhide's arm.
"Prowl?" Ironhide replied.
"Granny is the bot where fun goes to die," Ratchet said.
Ironhide chuckled. "You know, Callow was a real slagger, a stuck up entitled shit."
"You mean, he's my kind of mech?" Ratchet asked with smirk.
Ironhide smirked back. "Check."
The train slid to a halt at Metro Sparkling Day so they both got out, walked up the stairs, then waited in the big lobby of the school for the kids to come. Children going by Metro came first, then the pick up kids before the bus kids were sent down.
Orion and Praxus walked out with their book bags on holding servos as they chatted with each other and anyone else who'd look down at them. Ironhide and Ratchet watched them with delight.
"It was genius having them look like us," Ironhide said proudly.
"It was. Look at those little faces," Ratchet said as the kids spied them and began to run across the vast lobby. It would take them a while.
"Dinner out?" Ironhide asked.
"Is there any other?" Ratchet replied.
"Nope," Ironhide said as he knelt to enfold two of his many children into his big, big arms.
It was slagging good to be home.
=0=TBC 3-26-2022 edited 4-11-2022
LOVE YA MADLY!
