The Diego Diaries: Callow Debates (dd8 415)

NOTE: I fell asleep last night halfway through this. I won't be listening to nature sounds when I write next time. HERE WE GO!

=0=Morning is risen

The day was beginning to arrive through the coldness and dark that was typical for Mars this time of year. Traffic consisted mostly of those heading for work, driving trucks or getting public transport going. A lot of traffic was in the air as tourists were brought in to match tourists going off world.

Ironhide walked into The Diner On the Corner with Sunstreaker, Hugh-E and No-a. They were gathered to chat up the debates that would happen at 1500 joors on the TMC and be broadcast over the community channel, 113. The three of them were in a row, Sunstreaker, Hugh-E and himself. It made him nervous to consider it.

They sat, ordered, then relaxed for a moment.

"This is fragged," Sunstreaker said. "Why do I have to be first?"

"Because," Ironhide replied to everyone's amusement but Sunny's.

They would eat, complain and enjoy each other's company as their families worked to get the kids to school and everything going. Even Halo would have to go to school on someone else's arm today.

=0=Ops Center

Prowl sat at the table going over the overnight dump. A mass was moving in the far off Rim up the Bootes Chute. It was too far away to configure but it was big.

There was rumblings of high caste resentment building among some strata of that blighted branch of the Cybertronian tree. It wasn't definable to much degree but it was there. They were getting a lot of them from Dai Atlas from exclusive or nearly exclusive enclaves and it would probably be about time for him to find a big one and thrashing their aft in the middle of the highway in front of the Temple as an object lesson for the others.

Prowl grinned. / … blasphemy, Prowler… /

The School Board debates were tonight. They were slated to go. Rambler had a class assignment to be there and so they would. /… I wonder if that counts as joors of classroom time?… /

He kept going noting that nothing new was happening with Tempo's case yet which might account for unrest in the freeloader sect. He made a note to touch base.

It would be quiet in the Ops Center for a while.

=0=On the street

Ratchet watched the last bus fade into the distance. They had to make a decision about Praxus and Orion shortly. A meeting was scheduled on First Thursday to get it squared. Neo had a classroom now. She'd been attending college for a teaching degree in exceptional children and had been granted a classroom in the Pioneer School Program.

She would be the teacher for both and that included seven of Orion's own group D. He would be going with his brother and all his friends.

And Han. He was going, too.

Pros.

Cons.

He'd think about it later. Right now he had to get Halo to the Temple School, then answer a call from Polax who was chief commissioner for the Election Commission. He had a few questions to ask about his goof stunt at the game.

"Ada, I go wif lou?" Halo asked hopefully.

"Ada gotta go to a boring meeting. I'll tell Atar about you going to school. He's in a meeting, too," Ratchet said as he crossed the last street to get to the Temple District ground. He grinned as he entered the grounds taking the pathway to the big doors. He would disappear inside almost immediately.

=0=At IntraCom

Jazz and Blaster sat with the programming department who were organizing the debates. It would be the first time this ever happened so it was a big deal and promised to generate a lot of optics.

"So the first one will be Sunstreaker and Pierro," Blaster said.

"Yes," Conn said as he consulted his data pad. He was the programmer of special events for the company. "Sunstreaker the incumbent and Pierro the challenger will be first, then Hugh-E with Lane and finally Ironhide with Callo."

"I don't know if you know this but Callo and Ironhide were fierce opponents in everything from the time they were kids. It might be interesting to get him to clarify why he's running after only being here about 50 orns," Jazz said to Conn.

"Really? That might be interesting," Conn replied as he made the note. "I've never moderated a debate but it could get rough."

"I hope so," Jazz said with a big smile.

"Troublemaker," Blaster said.

"Probably," Jazz said to general laughter.

=0=Noon

They worked on the sound system at the auditorium at the Performing Arts Center, the big one. The acoustics were perfection and the view from all the seats was unobstructed. The candidates would have two podiums, one for each to present themselves to the group in the room and those watching while the moderator would stand behind one in between them.

Seats had been claimed this time with some reserved for the families of the candidates and Senior officials in the colony. The moderator would be Conn from IntraCom, the programming director. He would ask the questions taken from surveys of the colonists to get relevant information for them to answer questions that mattered.

It would all happen in seven joors.

=0=At the studio

Sunstreaker put the finishing touches on a portrait of Prima requested from him by Ven and Miler. It was perfect and showed the baby's beauty and sweetness to a tee. As he painted he considered the night before him. He would have to defend his seat because a slagger was trying to take it from him. That meant that his children's education and that of millions of others would be jeopardized if he lost.

He didn't intend to lose.

=0=On Cybertron in a zoom meeting for lunch

They called from all over the planet as they took a break for lunch. As the screen lit up one-by-one, they were soon all on the same page.

Literally.

"How do you think the debate for Sunny and Little Mech is going to go tonight?" Raptor asked his father.

Hard Drive grinned slightly. "If they keep their temper, both of them and stick to their records there's no choice here. If Ironhide decides to get angry with Callo then its going to be less assured."

"It might be a hard thing for him to put that all aside. He reminds me of you, Raptor, in that manner," Turbine said as he relaxed in his office at Nova Cronum with his peds on his desk and a beer bottle in his servo. "By the way, who took Halo to school this morning?"

"Ratchet did," Hardie replied.

=0=At the Temple

Ratchet walked to the door of the school, then handed Halo off to an aide. As he did Sela walked out to greet him.

"You look bright and cheery," Sela said. "I heard that Callo filed a complaint against your look at the game." She smiled. "You really like to make trouble."

"What's life like without spice? Bland and hardly worth living," Ratchet replied. "We consulted an attorney and there's no real grounds for it to have merit. Polax who's in charge of the Elections Commission called for a short chat a little bit ago."

=0=Calling

Ratchet took the call, then continued onward into his big office to sit down and shoot the breeze. Polax who headed several of Prime's commissions was on the line.

He linked his computer into the call, then sat back with a grin. "I sort of expected you to call."

Polax considered that, then grinned. "I just want to know about the suit."

"Prowl needed a shot and I gave him one," Ratchet replied. "Its part of my new religious practice to bring humor to the poor and suffering masses."

Polax grinned. "I find nothing that blocks this from happening. You just can't campaign near polling places."

"I figured as much. We checked with an attorney and he said the same thing. I intend to make a spectacle of myself on street corners and other thoroughfares to ensure that my old mech trounces that slagger. They've been locking horns since childhood."

"Is that so," Polax asked. He grinned. "Well, we'll see you at the debates."

"I'll be there. Thanks, Polax," Ratchet said as they signed off. He sat back, then grinned. "Score one for us and zero for Callo thus far."

=0=That night 7 joors later at the Performing Arts Center, Midtown Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire

They gathered by the thousands. It would be standing room only for this, the first debate ever held for the management of schools anywhere that Cybertronians had ever lived. Waiting backstage in a nice room were the candidates. Piero, Callo and Lane sat together on a couch on one side of the room while Sunstreaker, Hugh-E and Ironhide sat at the other. Everyone was talking together off line.

:This is fragged. Did you see the size of the crowd?: Sunstreaker asked as he glanced at a monitor showing the auditorium filling up with the sound muted nearby. It was there for the candidates waiting to see.

A rap on the door drew them, then Jazz stepped in. "Show time. Sunny and Piero." He smiled like the sun.

Sunstreaker arose, then glanced at the others.

:Remember, focus on Blue or Old Mech: Ironhide said. :You make this district function. Show them what you've done and don't get mad. You're a champion, son. I believe in you:

Sunstreaker stared at Ironhide a moment, then nodded curtly. Without another word he walked out followed by an equally pensive Piero. The door closed, everyone turned to the monitor, then Ironhide took the remote to turn up the sound.

=0=Out there

They walked down the corridor past Scout and Trooper who were helping with the broadcast. They hugged him, then watched him go with the challenger, a high caste mech named Piero. Both walked to the wings, then waited with Jazz. Conn was already setting rules to get things going.

"Tonight we have the first ever debate for Seat 3 for the Autobot City United School District Board. We have seven seats in contention. The first two are at-large. That is, they serve everyone in the colony and Cybertron no matter where they live. The others represent very large districts that are their domains as members. The seventh seat is for the student representative which is being contended between Coros of Capital City and Simby of Capital City.

"Ordinarily the children wouldn't have to debate but they asked to do so. On the second night of our debate schedule, Simby and Coros will have a short debate following the three remaining candidates, Carmella of Torus States versus Timbre of Praxus, No-A of Kaon versus Sirio of Capital City and last but not least, Sterno of Stanix versus Ron Witwicky of The Family Tower of the United Nations." He grinned. "Give them a right and they take it to spark."

Laughter greeted that, then he glanced at the wings of the stage. "I would like to introduce our first debaters. Sunstreaker of Kaon is currently Vice President of the School Board defending seat 3.

Sunny walked out to a roar of approval and much of it was from others than family and soldier friends. Sunstreaker was much respected and liked for his efforts on the Board and for kids in general. He gripped servos the warrior way, then walked to a podium to wait. He looked beautiful, dangerous and ready.

"Next is the challenger, Piero of Capital City. He is a new resident to the colony."

He walked out, did the same, then took his podium.

Conn glanced at both, then the audience. "Shall we begin?" he asked to great approval from the audience. The home audience was equally as large and probably equally expectant as well.

"My first question then," Conn began.

It became hushed in the great hall as they listened.

=0=TBC 4-20-2022