The Diego diaries: Callow (dd8 409)
=0=Around noon time
They left to go to the Arena for the game that would play in three joors. Kaon and Iacon would face off in the one arena while the Crater Comets would play Polyhex in the other. Given that the teams were required to assemble there two hours before the game, all of them showed up at The Fortress to get Prime.
It was crowded in the room.
=0=BLASTER AND JAZZ!
"So the line up of the Comets is intriguing. Its as if the Joint Chiefs of Staff and their office managers joined a sports team," a commentator from Earth2 said.
He was Colin Forest newly 'hired' for sports commentary who was the 'sportscaster and weatherman' on the E2 station news broadcast that happened every night at 6 pm. It was their in-house channel, all of the habitats had them, and he was the one who also coached a couple of teams in the schools and among the adults. Basketball was getting an intramural component in the human community between habitats and Prima Station.
Among other sports.
Sitting in a chair on the console of the desk where Jazz and Blaster were relaxing as they gave their pre-game show with others on Earth, Colin was the stand-in human for nearly eight billion people.
"We don't stand on ceremony," Jazz said with a chuckle. "It might do those guys some good."
"The number of generals participating is amazing. You have Hard Drive, Raptor, Blackjack, all generals. Is Magnus a general?"
Jazz chuckled. "No but he could be. Magnus doesn't stand on ceremony though he's very respectful to the command structure and totally loyal to Prime and the Cause. He only cares about getting the job done, Our Magnus. He's no one to make a mountain out of a molehill or need bells and whistles."
"He's incredibly huge," Colin said. "I'm really surprised how fast they are, these big mechs."
"There's sort of a size hierarchy among the big frames when you exclude the flying kind and the guardian, metro class mechs and femmes. Big mechs like Prime and Megatron are straight up warrior class mechanisms. Megatron was born to be a warrior. Prime is warrior class but his family were longshoremen and worked in the steel mills because their size dictated function. It was the way it was with the slagging System of Exception.
"They're almost supernaturally strong and faster than most can grasp. The frames that are apocalyptic, the phase sixers are all big, huge even. Some of the mechs here like Bulkhead and some of the construction workers, they're incredibly big, heavy and powerful. But they won't usually stand up very long with someone like Megatron and Prime. The phase sixers are usually too much for even Prime and Megatron.
"I've seen Bulkhead go toe-to-toe with Megatron and there's no battle. I have to hand it to Bulk and others who try. I admire their nerve," Jazz said as Blaster nodded. "I've seen Prime go up against Megatron multiple times and its a draw. Megatron is about the most perfectly designed and made single mech short of a combiner I can think of."
"I agree," Blaster said. "But I still give Prime the edge because Prime has a purpose behind his punch. Someone's life is at stake. For Megatron its always about his own advancement. He doesn't give a frag about anyone else, babies, elders, anyone."
"Some say he can be reasoned with," Colin said. He stared at the two mechs he loved with a cold fury. They were life goals for him in many ways.
"No one ever tried and lived," Jazz said as Blaster nodded.
"Would he like these kinds of sports do you think?" Colin asked.
Blaster grinned. "He would but he'd cheat."
Huge laughter greeted that.
:Hey, boys. This is Paul Marshall from the UK. What's the outlook of the season. I think that might be more fun than talking about a homicidal maniac:
Snickers rounded the room including Revet.
"Well, I'd say that Prime and the Comets have the edge. We figured it would take a few years to get other teams up to their level of play and even after the draft and a few teams realigned with the better players of others, I do believe the season is Prime's to lose," Jazz said.
They would chat together until the game started while the specter of Megatron faded in the background.
=0=Locker room
"You look dour."
Ironhide glanced at his father. "They want to promote Praxus and now Orion to a Pioneer school."
Everyone glanced at the two, then Blackjack considered the move. "If they both go then its going to be better for Orion."
General agreement met that remark, then it was silent.
"What's bothering you, infant?" Sun asked.
"That means no one is going to be going to Sparkling Day then," Ironhide said. "That school … I like that school."
It was silent as they digested that, then Auntie Lissie walked over to sit beside him. "This reminds me when you were accelerated from your primary school to the middle one. No one was going to go to that school again and it felt sad."
Ironhide nodded. "They have such good times there and their friends are there."
"Will they be the only ones?" Sun asked.
"No. Ten of them are going, almost everyone in their group," Ironhide said. "They're a smart bunch of little fraggers."
"Then its going to be easier," Lissie said as she patted Ironhide's arm.
"The tower where their classroom will be doesn't feel like a school. Even if Hero's down the corridor and Bron-E is next to them, that's three little classrooms outside of a real school. I just feel that they're going to be missing important things," Ironhide said.
"What does Ratchet say?" Hard Drive asked. He was feeling the burn as well. He liked the schools the kids attended.
"He's as murky about this as I am," Ironhide said. "Hero cried for a decaorn when she had to leave Sparkling Day. It was really, really hard on her."
"So I heard," Hardie replied. "They're going with eight friends."
"Yeah," Ironhide said as he sat back. "Its just sad to me. We won't be going to that school again."
"All of the kids in the Circle Academy will be there eventually including Prowler and Halo," Steiner said.
"Yeah, but the atmosphere, the things going on, all of it. Its being replaced by three classrooms in a tower without other kids around. Where will they sit and eat lunch? What about playing together with other kids? Hero is in a class with seven kids. I didn't want her there but I got mowed down," Ironhide said. "I don't know about this. It feels poorly to me."
They stared at him feeling the downturn in his aura.
Hardie leaned forward to peer down the row. "You're the Secretary of the School Board, grandson. Go there all you want."
He sat back considering the mechs and femmes around him, his beloved family and shirttail relatives. "I have an opponent in the election."
Huge laughter greeted that.
"Frag him. I'll campaign for you," Arcee said as Chromia cracked her knuckles.
"Count me in," she said to approval from everyone.
Especially Maelstrom.
=0=In the Primal Box
"Anyone seen Ratchet?" Prowl asked the gathered with a slight worry. Loon hadn't shown yet.
"No but I'm sure I'll be humiliated the moment he shows up," Ravel said with a tiny fret.
Snickers rounded the box, then a stir behind them drew everyone's attention.
Ratchet had arrived.
=0=In the tunnel
They lined up in their tunnels. Across the way in other tunnels were the children from the Autobot City Watch and Medical Group Children's Mentorship Program. Standing among the mechs which included Drift and Springer, they wore their jackets and held their medi-kits, ever ready to do good wherever it was needed.
Prime stood at the front of the line as Alor walked out to play the anthems and fete him in.
Alie sat, then began. Everyone stood and sang their sparks out as Prime walked in to take the moment with the crowd.
=0=Booth
"Now that's a Primal frame," Jazz said with a chuckle. "That's a mech who bested Megatron several times including killing his shiny aft until he was revived by the Allspark. Optimus Prime is a wonder of the universe."
"You won't find me disagreeing," Colin said as he watch the spectacle on the floor from the announcer booth in the sky to the ground 120 feet below.
=0=Beginning
They walked out onto the floor, both teams to take their side. Walking along behind the Comets, Sunspot, Bos, Co-D and Reflector ambled along with a happy bouncing dog. All of them accompanied whoever had a game that orn, Kaon or the Comets thereby relieving them of the angst of making a choice.
Reaching their benches, they each took a turn intimidating the other with their hakas before Prime and the other captain walked out for the coin toss. It was riotously happy and colorful in the arena where banners waved and team songs lifted the rafters.
Prime would win the toss.
=0=WTF!?
"RATCHET!"
"LOON!"
"I LOVE IT! I CONCUR!"
=0=Jump Ball
The ball went up from the trembling servo of the referee and so did Prime and his counterpart. A huge tall mechanism called Blato (blay-toe) who was a crane operator in Public Works got the ball without much effort, handed it to one of the forward line of his team, then watched that mech run into the solid wall of Raptor's chassis. He rebounded into Sun's chassis, then Raptor one more time before falling on his face. The ball which was clutched in his servo was plucked by Raptor who handed it to a smiling Sun. When he did Blato hip bumped him into the outback of the beyond.
Sun who didn't much care at the moment because half a dozen Polyhexagons, yes, that was their team name, were clinging to him like burrs. A flag went up for excessive burring so Sun got to take it in from the out(side of the line).
Sun passed it easily to Prime who got an elbow to the face from Blato. He went blotto and fell to his knees before landing face down on the floor.
Onto the ball.
Clutched in his remarkable grasp.
Without magnetism for once.
Like that.
=0=UP THERE WTF-ING!
"LOON!"
"RATCHET!"
LOO-" Prowl glanced down to the floor and was held back from jumping off the balcony by the combined strength of Miler, Venture, Appa Ratchet and the Gorilla in the room.
Literally.
=0=Cue a reaction
They galloped out of the tunnel where they were, fifteen of the thirty kids who were 'assigned' to this portion of the game floor by their 'Commandant' Coros. Co-Commandant Pulley and thirty more were 'working' the other game at the moment. Reaching Prime, they helped him roll over to stare at the ceiling and the many constellations there that only he could see.
They worked him over, checking everything that was possible to check without a can opener in servo, then held a tense huddled discussion together as the arena watched in hushed expectation. Turning to the medics standing by grinning at them, they said almost as one: "He needs to sit this one out a few minutes."
First Aid who was jonesing to haul Prime into the building clinic and truss him up in traction nodded. "My conclusion exactly."
Cue fifteen kids smiling like a star nursery.
Prime was pulled to his peds, then staggered off to the sidelines to sit heavily on a bench and be fussed over while Echo sat beside him holding his servo.
They would get a standing ovation.
Ratchet in a gorilla suit with a sign that said, "Vote for Ironhide for School Board" would be receiving at the same time something a little bit less.
=0=TBC 4-11-2022
Hey, Miss Fancy. Good idea. Given that sign is pretty straight forward and speech problems aren't necessarily a problem, it might be hilarious to see what they do. Hugs to you, my darling. :D
