The Diego Diaries: Callow (dd8 419)

=0=The Performing Arts Center of Mars

They gathered in the wings of the stage, Scout, Trooper and the rest of the family who came. The crowd was slowly dispersing after this, the first school board debate in Cybertronian history.

"Well done, grandson," Trooper said with pride. "You kept your composure and you did yourself proud. "I give you two thumbs up."

"I hated this. I'm glad our terms are long," Ironhide said as he hugged his appa.

"It was interesting to see them mostly dance around what they really believe," Scout said. "I know their families. They liked to come to the theater. None of them believe what they said."

"Its up to the voters now," Hugh-E said.

"Have faith in our good people, Ironhide," Prime said. "They will not let you down."

When the crowd dwindled they began to leave themselves heading for a cafe to have a light dinner and unwind.

=0=In the green room waiting to leave

"What do you think?" Piero asked.

Lane shrugged. "I don't think we can guess but I know that all we had to do was keep it down and have enough ambiguity for the voters to believe."

"That's the point," Callo said as they waited for the people outside to leave. If they left now they might have to face questions and the less the people knew that was true about their views, the better.

=0=The next morning

Ron Witwicky who'd watched the debate the night before read all of the headlines he could find. Around him everyone was going about their day, getting ready to go off world or to work somewhere.

"What's the general consensus, Ron?" Thomas Lennox asked as he sat down to eat breakfast at the table by the window where Ron always sat.

"I think the incumbents did well and probably will get re-elected. The exit polls of the audience gives them a comfortable edge. The newbies were too close to the line on a couple of the questions. It felt too much like The System to many."

"Are you worried about tonight?" Will Lennox asked as he sat himself.

"Not really," Ron said truthfully. "I was a member of a number of civic organizations and speeches were part of that. Toastmasters, for instance."

"Good thing," Will said. "This is being broadcast down the MCA you know. All of Earth, here and the 'Con bases are going to want to know your opinions."

Ron considered that. "Lucky them," he replied to huge laughter.

=0=The Resort of Autobot City

The place was humming with activity as some gathered to go on bus rides or the flyover of the planet. Others were eating breakfast, hanging at the windows and their scopes or going outside to play around in the dome that kept them all alive.

The Judys, Lois and Barbara walked from the motor pool in the back to the concourse. Down they want chatting with people, giving selfies on request and pointing out things to visitors as they headed for the office.

Gavin Pritchard stepped out of the boutique then slowed for them to catch up. "How's Ron this morning?"

"Raring to go," Judy said with a snicker. "He's mostly made of ham, you know."

"I'm so glad we can vote. My first vote on world is for the School Board," Gavin said with a chuckle. "Of course, I have kids in the schools."

"I wish I did," Judy said as they entered the office. "I'm going to die before I become a grandmother, I think."

It would be very pleasant in the office today.

=0=At the 'office'

Prowl sat at the table going over the intel. The mass that was moving their way was coming from the area where they'd picked up the endangered colonies a few orns before. It was very likely that the 'Cons were on the move, heading toward them it appeared because they were following the Omega Beam. Given that the beam ended on Earth it would behoove them to check this out.

He rose to walk to the corridor to speak to Prime.

=0=At a Sparkling School

They sat in a conference room waiting for the Specialist Placement Team whoever they were to come and lay down the smack. Given that half the family was duty bound elsewhere delegated members were here with proxy votes rather than the whole mangy mob.

Ratchet and Ironhide sat pensively along with Raptor, Flint, Scout, Alor, Delphi and Lissie. It was painfully quiet in the room as those who weren't here would be dialed in to listen.

Finally, the door opened as a mob walked in followed by Herling and a smirking Roto. The door closed, everyone sat, then it was silent.

"You're the saddest looking band of outlaws I ever saw," Roto said.

"Why that still surprises you is amazing to me," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "Okay. Move us."

Herling snickered. "We're here to check on the placement of Praxus and Orion to the newly created accelerated classroom in the Pioneer Program in this building. Roto, maybe you can explain what we want to do here."

"Thanks," Roto said with a smirk. He looked at the gathered. "Neo has been working on a degree in special education and accelerated children's programs. I would say she graduated first in her class by the way. She asked for and was granted one of four new classrooms created just for this.

"We've been testing children and found that our infant program, the one all of that group belongs to is creating advanced children academically. What's the hold up to just putting them in Level 1 at Youngling Day is their physical and emotional development. Its still as the level of babies. Putting them with older kids for the academics would have diminishing returns for the children involved."

"Praxus is a cream puff. It would be like putting Prowler in Intermediate School," Ironhide gruffed. "Both of them are just babies."

"We know," Herling said. "We had to develop something that would be a bridge for them. Thus, the Pioneer Program. It would work to advance the academic part of their growth while allowing them to grow up and mature emotionally and physically. What we need to know is if you feel this will be a good placement. We're taking the entire group D so they'd come with all their closest friends."

"That part is genius," Ratchet said. "Then all of them are working at the same level academically but have the same problem with their maturity?"

Herling nodded. "That's what we're finding. We have group B and E under study at the moment, too. Our primary program is so effective and our teachers and aides so expert at teaching it that our babies are expanding almost alarmingly."

Roto grinned. "Such problems should be the bane of others, too."

Ironhide relaxed. "Then you're saying our boys are advanced academically?"

Everyone on the other side of the table nodded as one. They would spend the best part of the next joor explaining how it was so.

=0=Prime and Prowl

As Prowl rose to leave he received a message. Reading through it, he sat again. "I just got a message from the Central Office. They want to speak to us about having Miracle in a Pioneer School Program."

Prime considered that after going through the information file on these classrooms in seconds. "What about the girls?"

"They're still being studied and that includes others in the Academy whose names were forwarded to the Central Office," Prowl asked as he read the reply to that very question that he'd sent while Prime scanned the files.

They stared at each other.

"Oh." -Both of them

=0=At a studio

"Then we have agreement?" Blue asked as he considered their upcoming weekend activities.

"Sure," Sideswipe said as Sunstreaker nodded.

Blue took a message, then glanced at the boys. "I just got a message from the school. They want to put Kaon in advanced classes at the Pioneer School, the kind Hero goes to."

The twins stared at Blue, then nodded. "Frag yes," they both said.

Sideswipe glanced at Sunny, then Blue. "What about the girls?"

Blue sent a message, then sat back mulling the answer. "They said they were still being studied but it looked good."

Sunstreaker glanced at Sideswipe. "They'll take them, too. They're just still getting a gauge on their awesomeness."

"I agree," Sideswipe said.

Blue grinned at both.

=0=At the actual meeting

They stared at the group and the group stared at them.

"I have some things I want to ask," Ironhide asked as he collated the flood of questions sent to him by his absentee elders and the ones he had for himself. "I'd like to know about play opportunities. They have a giant playground at their school. What about the arts and physical stuff? Pools and the like. Music and art? Will the classroom teacher do that or will there be experts? I haven't received a lot of requests from this program on the Board but we can build and create more if you ask."

Herling sat back. "We're still organizing it using Hero's classroom as the model. We have a playground being created in our lot between our tower and the Emergency Services tower. We have a small pool being created in a space on the floor of the new classrooms. All of the arts will be taught by our teachers in the traveling arts program. Music, art, the like.

"The classroom teachers have a lot to do and its all integrated together whether its them or the roving teachers. We're putting together a request for the program and plan for it to be expanded on another floor kn this tower altogether. The classroom that the boys will use will be on that one starting now. During the next break the one for Hero will be moved there as well making five in total.

"All future classes for this program will also accommodate Youngling Day kids too immature for Intermediate day and will be expanded on that floor which is huge and can accommodate dozens of classrooms and labs, etc. We will need to expand our academic program to include more of that sort of thing. You'll hear from us soon."

It was silent a moment as the conversation off line was brisk.

Scout looked at his pensive family, then the group with Herling. "I see no downsides to this but for the loss of the Sparkling School itself. I love that school. I go there for things a lot. Given that aside, if they come with their friends into a more challenging program taught by someone they've loved since they started, it can only be good."

"They can always go back if it doesn't work for them, right?" Alor asked.

"They would but they'd go back without their friends. Each child's needs will be met no matter where they are," Roto said.

A moment of confab was held both here and on Cybertron, then the biggest hurdle made the decision.

"Let's try it," Ironhide said reluctantly. His little boo-boos were growing up faster than he liked.

=0=After a tour of the classroom

"That's one beautiful room," Ratchet said. "Huge. Think about it. Orion and Praxus can go in the cab with Hero. She can be the big sister for them until they get the hang of it."

Ironhide glanced at Ratchet. "If you say so."

Flint clapped Ironhide on the shoulder. "Get a grip, nephew. Ice cream anyone?"

"I do believe I want some," Auntie Lissie said as she took Ironhide's servo. "I think you need some sprinkles on your ice cream, my baby."

Ironhide grinned. "If you say so, Auntie."

They walked off to rehash the decision and work through their grief at leaving Sparkling Day School behind.

For now.

=0=TBC 4-26-2022

Composure: (come-poh-zur) the ability to keep your behavior calm even in the face of disaster.

Green room: the name given to the room where people wait to go on in show business. Its because a famous one had green walls and it stuck.

Ambiguity: (am-bih-gU-itee) something that isn't clear or fully understood.

Calling someone a ham: an old fashioned term that means a person is an attention seeking person, someone with no reservations about messing around and being seen by others, no matter how shamelessly.

An attention hog.

Behoove: (bee-hoov) Seem reasonable, be responsible: "It would behoove us to google search the part before we change it on the car."