The Diego Diaries: Budge and Mystic (dd8 427)

=0=Hospital

Ratchet sat beside his Appa Ratchet with his arm around the little mech's shoulders. He'd told Ratchet tales of the two when they were younger, when they fought in the wars of liberation and how much fun they had. They were so close even if they were as different in personality as two mechs could be.

They had a dream of opening a shop where they could make things, wonderful things. Tie and Ravel had inherited that dream through the struggle and effort of he, Docker, Corr and Chan. Budge and Mystic were just a heavily firewalled memory that seared him with pain when it came to him.

"I want you and everyone to go home and recharge," Ratchet said. "If you wear out now then they're not going to have your wisdom and help later on."

Ratchet glanced up at him. "I'd like to sleep here," he said.

Docker glanced at Ratchet. "I think I like that idea. The three of us can go home and get rested up. I'll take care of school and the office runs itself with my good workers. Corsair is a wonder. We can help them get through the first part and get settled in the care program at Central Point."

"I don't want them to be alone. They've been alone all our lives. If they can come with us we can make space for them," Appa said.

"We have to get them on their peds, then we can have them close to us. You and Appa can maybe get that dream." Ratchet squeezed his shoulders gently.

"I don't know about that, Sonny. I feel so old right now," Ratchet said with a slight weep in his voice.

"Well, lets get you settled then," Ratchet said as he rose and gently pulled Ratchet to his peds. He helped his grandfather bed down on the pullout berth that was made up into the couches of the room. When he was tucked in and settled Ratchet gave him a script and he drifted off to recharge almost immediately. "I gave him a sedative which is timed for me to come after we get the kids to school. I have to be there tomorrow for Orion and Praxus. I was told that Hero wants them to go on a cab with her."

"She's a good sister, our little Hero," Corr said through his tears.

Ratchet picked him up, holding him gently as he hugged him. "Let's get you home."

They walked out with Ratchet carrying Corr. Ironhide rose with concern but Ratchet allayed that concern off line.

"We're getting them home and letting Appa stay here," Ratchet said. "I'm going to give orders for all of them."

The group looked relieved then followed Ratchet as he did so, then led his little elders out to the street where they walked toward their tower with the others following. Up the elevator they went, then toward their apartment. It only took a moment for Ratchet to settle his family, give them a slight script, then ease out again.

Everyone was waiting solemnly in the corridor.

"How's it really?" Prowl asked.

"Well, they look like they've been shocked a lot, a control device I imagine and they're broken down. I have to do a lot of repairs. I have a great elder surgeon I'm going to get, then the best cosmetic detailers in the colony. Its going to take time. I'm going to put them through the program at Central Point. Thank Primus for Paragon."

Everyone agreed.

"We can help you, Ratchet. Just call upon us," Optimus said.

"Thank you, Optimus. I have a claim in to the Committee for War Crimes and Investigations. Eugenie took it and I expect to hear from her soon. We have to go out there again and do a really detailed sweep, try and find this location and gather evidence. And elders. I don't believe this is it."

"I hope it is, Ratchet," Prowl said grimly. "Paragon is working out the plan and we're going out with the Supremes to look. If they find something then we're all going out to investigate."

Ratchet nodded. "Thank you, all of you. This is almost beyond belief, this rescue. There's hope for us all then."

They commiserated for a bit, then everyone went home.

Ratchet and Ironhide walked in, hugged Alor, then watched as he left. The kids were in bed and wouldn't be told for some time.

"You alright?" Ironhide asked.

"No but I will be," Ratchet said as he hugged Ironhide. "We better turn in. Tomorrow comes fast enough."

They walked to their berth room to sleep.

=0=Early morning in Autobot City

It was still dark but the dawn was coming. Street sweepers were buzzing along gathering up the never ending dusting of sand and fine grit that came with desert worlds. Trucks making deliveries, non-sentient trucks picking up garbage from businesses and towers for incineration or recycle and the odd mech of femme dotted the city as they went about their way. Businesses were still closed but a few had either overnight workers getting ready to leave shift or those coming in.

A solitary mech swept the sidewalk in front of his business, a store front that sold time pieces. Humans were enamored of his jewel encrusted precision works that would cost tens of thousands of dollars on Earth but could be had here for nothing. He waved at a truck passing which honked at him as cabs and the odd vehicle made their way along the roadway.

Down the way the Temple still shown with its night spotlights which would turn off the moment that the light meters said it was daytime. There was little activity beyond a few mechs entering or leaving after making prayers or meditating there. There were several levels of habitation below ground, housing for the priests, priestesses, religious and those coming for their own reasons.

The night shift was getting ready to go off as in the cafeteria two floors below several priests were eating breakfast before coming up to do the day.

Beyond that, the traffic was brisker on the highways leading in and out of The City. Down some side streets inside and out of Metroplex as well as everywhere else beat cops walked in pairs doing their duty. The odd pedestrian passed them waving or walking onward to who knew where. In the distance a horse patrol was slowly heading for the Stables to end shift where they began.

Overhead, lights could be seen, some from ships and others from communication and other devices that helped make life on world the marvel that it was. Some of the ships were cargo and passenger coming in from other worlds and Earth. Some were flights of Seekers ending their shift while others got ready to go.

The Triggers also illuminated the sky, their nearly completed forms back in orbit again. In a decaorn they'd be fully back in business, the first two replacements for those destroyed with two others in development to prevent another problem like this ever happening again. They would have six of them on different stations in the system.

All over the colony in all of the cities the same thing was undergoing. The colony was slowly rising and soon traffic would be brisk, trains running overland once more would carry passengers here and there and all would be well again. No one would know the personal struggles of those who had difficulties like Appa Ratchet and his family. Those battles would be fought everywhere in this, a reviving refugee population.

Every day would be an inch closer to peace and health for most of them.

=0=In a new habitat on the road to the old ones

They ate breakfast then went to the windows to watch as dawn broke on world. The windows were a marvel and it took some getting used to. A thin pane kept one from death's door. That it was transparent steel was a marvel as well but it was still transparent.

"Traffic is picking up," someone said. "Just like anywhere else. Its weird to believe you can't go out there and walk around like it was anywhere else that was desert."

The group nodded.

"Commander Ratchet is coming with Drift and Springer. That's going to be great," a female soldier said.

The group nodded again.

The sound of a rescue vehicle could be faintly detected as its flashing lights sped past on the highway just over a slight rise from their habitat. It didn't impede the view, the rise, but gave a natural boundary to the area designated their territory and like all habitats on world that catered to humans, it didn't have diplomatic immunity either.

It would be an interesting moment spent gazing outside as the sun slowly rose over the rump of Olympus Mons.

=0=At the sidewalk in the morning

They'd wrestled the infants getting them ready as Chan, Corr and Docker headed toward the hospital. Ratchet told them that if the three were still sedated to let them sleep and they agreed as they hurried off to the Femme Hospital nearby.

A bus came for Sunspot and Spot. He waved from the window with Bos, Co-D and Reflector beside and behind him. Next came the three dreads and then the little bus for Prowler. The tiny bus for the Temple took Halo who was on her third day of doing this. It trundled on, then everyone made their way for the Metro and Metrotitan down the way.

=0=At the Pioneer School Module 1 of the Autobot City Unified School District

They walked upward from the Metro below the building to make their way to an elevator. Going upward, they got off and put three little kids down on the ground. They stared up, smiled, then ran for their doors and tiny lines. Everyone watched, then waved as the doors opened and their teachers took them into hand.

The deed was done. They all headed for Metro Femme.

=0=Corr, Chan, Docker, Tie and Ravel

They sneaked in, then hovered around the three sleeping loved ones. Ratchet looked better, his expression smoothed in sleep. The other two were recharging deeply as their data complied on their monitors. No one knew how to read it but the levels were higher on the scales than they were the night before. It had to be good. Right?

They settled on couches and chairs anxiously waiting for Sonny to come and explain what it all meant to them. It was always better when Sonny was there. He could do anything.

=0=At the Hospital

Ratchet paused at the Nursing Station to get the word that they'd had a good night, all three of them. A case worker at Social Services for 'impaired/abused elder, refugee, rescued in endangered condition' was already there, a little femme named Libby who was from Torus States. She'd been a case worker all her life and loved it anyway.

Ratchet turned to her. "Thank you, Libby, for taking this. Its not a good thing. These were trafficked kids who grew old in their slavery."

Libby shook her helm. "I hate this. Do we have any information about who and where? The more I have the more points of conversation I can make with them. Trigger from Processor Health is going to be my partner."

"He's the best," Ratchet said with relief. "We don't know much but a group is going out to explore the area and get whoever might be left and find what evidence remains. I'm so fragged off I can hardly see straight."

"I know. I'm sorry, Ratchet. We'll do everything we can for them. One of them is Seer Guild?" she asked curiously.

Ratchet nodded. "My amma is. Mystic of Iacon. He's from the old clan, one formed shortly after the Quintessans were slagged."

"Wow. That's old," she said. "How about we go see them if that's on the table."

"It is," Ratchet said. He led them in and hugged his ada. Walking to the monitor he read through all the data from the long night. He glanced at the emotional group around him. "They did good. There's improvement. Its going to take time and I'm going to have to do some surgeries. The best elder surgeon in the universe will help me. Its just to fix and upgrade slag."

"They'll be okay, right?" Docker asked fretfully. Appa was still recharging nearby.

"They will," he replied as the room nearly deflated. "How about we bring them out of their recharge?" he asked. He pulled a meter to do so.

=0=TBC 5-5-2022

NOTES AT LAST!

Misty Legionnaire chapter 425 . May 4

Gasp. More on the Ironhide/Ratchet family tree? Most awesome. I swear there is a need for diagrams for some of the families now.

ME: I actually have them for the families and friend groups. LOL! The more different the family member, the more interesting it is. I want the entire scope of possibilities to be represented in this story.

I hope you have a great day ahead.

ME: You, too, darling. Happy weekend. :D

moosekababs chapter 356 . May 4

i am so far behind, but what's new? i was wondering, where is tell supposed to be? i was under the impression he's supposed to be with ironhide... but ironhide just got plowed into the wall, so now im a bit confused ;

ME: WELCOME! I'm going to go over that and find out. SNICKER! You never know. Love ya, Moose Honey. :D

cball671 chapter 424 . May 3

I love Orion and Prowler. I can't wait for the reunion of the Great Elder with his son. Will we have a Seeker party? Or better yet may we have a Seeker Party? Will there be other 0urprises in this new group traveling the Omega Beam? I must have your story to drink my coffee in the mornings. It's how I start my day. I love this story.

ME: The kids are golden for me. Rainmaker is my hero and having his last kid back, all five of them is a hoot. Parties should be the order of the day. LOL! The new group is something that is pressing me to show up again and again. They're going to be unusual. :D Love to give you a read when you're waking up. I love that you love this story. I do, too. HUGS! :D

Misty Legionnaire chapter 422 . May 1

Darn it, I thought Ron was going to debate one of the high castes targeting Sterno's seat. I was looking forward to seeing him debate by pointing out the similar issues humans are experiencing under their version of the System of Exception. He would cap it off with how he wanted to make a difference.

ME: Sterno was overbooked. Ron might be fun. The elections will be announced in tomorrow's piece, the one I'm going to write in the morning. I love your layout. I wish I'd thought about it. LOL! Readers are amazing.

Pity Judy didn't spring on Ron that they were going to have another child, who could go into the Mars education system. That would have been a nice shock for Ron and incentive to do well as an elected representative.

ME: LOL! I love Judy. I think she's hilarious. Hitting Rampage with her purse was bad ass of her. Ron being calm and her being bad ass are great. Another kid would be hilarious. :D

Great job on Ironhide's prank and Grimlock realizing the soldiers fro Earth are just scared.

Hope some of the new soldiers help bolster Grimlock's spark by wondering why Decepticons don't just surrender on seeing Grimlock coming their way. I wonder if any of the new humans would be a good friend to the Dinobots by being impressed with their record and wanting to learn from them.

ME: there's a version of Grimlock as a genius in one of the new shortie cartoons. I love that version. I think having Grimmy and the boys smarter so they can be more sly is going to be fun. Having a newbie guy befriending them is a genius idea. Onto the list. :D

Have a wonderful day ahead.

ME: And you as well. :D HUGS!