The Diego Diaries: Home Again (dd8 445)
=0=Morning breaks over the dome of the Olympus Mons
The streets were filled with locals and newcomers. It was easy to tell which was which. It added fresh life to the scene with their awestruck newness. It added a new vision to those who lived here and had slipped into a local's oblivion about things. It was always nice to remember your own newness through the delight of others who were newer.
The Port was still going great guns as the humans said. An endless stream of refugees and Decepticons walked in lines toward the big building with seemingly endless doors that led inside to freedom and return. They were also led out of doors in the back to waiting vans, buses and other transport. Their individual carer would take them to their new homes and the beginning of the life they always deserved and nearly all never had.
Watching them go, Ratchet conversed with his family. :What's the news, Amma?:
:They're up and about, Sonny. Mystic and Budge are feeling so much better. They're sitting in chairs and we're spending time in the lounge at the end of the corridor, the one with the great view and all the plants: Docker replied as they sat together there, a much more relaxed Appa Ratchet and herself with Mystic and Budge. Conversation and catching up was being had in furious measure. :Its all so good:
Ratchet felt mountains fall off his shoulders. :I'm taking a break in a moment and I'll come over. Tell everyone to hold on. I'm coming:
Docker grinned. :I will, my baby. Don't come too soon on our account:
:You know better than that. I'm heading there, Amma. See you in a moment: Ratchet said.
:Okay. Docker out: She sat back to relax in the warm light streaming through the windows. It was being magnified by the translucent material of the window making it warmer than it would be otherwise. "Ratchet will be here shortly."
Mystic glanced at her. "He's a very good boy," he said. "I see good for him and his. I'm going to be happy to see the children. They have beautiful auras."
Docker grinned. "They're perfect."
Everyone there agreed.
=0=In the Office of District 1 and 1A Delegate Docker of Uraya
Corsair sat in his office working on constituent concerns and requests for Docker who was having family issues. He ran the office with great skill and efficiency as he gained in his own sense of self worth. Coming to work everyday, helping people who needed him was a great boost to his confidence and well being.
He rose to walk to the outer office. "I have to go to committee, Seelie," he said to the receptionist/personal administrative assistant to their boss, Docker.
"I'll cover you, Corsair," she said sweetly.
Corsair grinned at her, then walked out. He traversed the corridor, cut through the big lobby of their building, then stepped outside. Under the big dome of the huge platformed building, the sun was warm on his armor. The atmosphere that was maintained to include humans was a boost to the variety of those here.
Humans buzzed about and perhaps more would since three humans were running for delegate seats in the upcoming election. Barbara Morshower had filed for the delegate seat for her district, one that included the Resort. Two others, one from Unidad and one from Earth 1 were also running. He thought a moment for their names but it eluded him.
He walked onward across the vast open space toward the Delegate Assembly Building where the entire group sat or individual groups attended committee meetings. He'd be Docker's proxy to the Committee for the Interior which would review the Department of Interior's requests to make a campground expansion in the Olympus Mons National Reserve.
He walked toward the huge building, climbed the steps, then entered. It was very busy inside, something that felt great to him, reminding him of the bustle of home for a moment. He walked onward toward corridors that led to committee rooms. Entering 482-A, he walked to the seat that said "Docker of Uraya, Committee Co-Chair, District 1 and 1A". Sitting down with his recorder ready, Corsair of Iacon made ready to help the boss keep up on the news and business until she could come back to work in a couple of orns.
It was exhilarating for him.
The group gathered and sat with the chairman rapping the meeting into order. "Thank you for being so prompt, my friends. Thank you, Corsair, for coming for Docker. How is her family coming along?"
Everyone gave Corsair their attention, something that would have been painfully awful just a short time before. "They're getting better. They're living in Central Point. Hopefully, they can move to their own home and have a life again, Chairman."
"Send them our best then, would you?" he asked, this kindly grandfather of fifteen.
"I would be delighted," Corsair said.
"Then we should begin then. A park expansion in the Mons sounds like fun," he said as everyone agreed.
That included Corsair who was coming along just nicely, thank you very much.
=0=In a lounge in the Med Center at Central Point, Midtown Autobot City
Ratchet paused in the doorway to take in the scene. Appa Ratchet was laughing at something his brother had said. Budge who was quiet grinned back at him.
Mystic noticed him first, then smiled. "Guess who's here?"
Appa Ratchet rose from his chair. "SONNY! MY BOY IS HERE! COME IN AND SIT! ALL IS SO WELL!"
Ratchet walked to his vulnerable little appa and hugged him off his peds. Setting him down gently, he hugged the others. Pulling up a chair, he sat. "Well, don't you look well. I can see handsomeness ran in your family, Appa," Ratchet said as he glanced at a beaming Ratchet.
"My brother is the good looking one. I'm the dancer," Ratch said with a chuckle.
"You dance like a demon. Make of that what you will, Appa," Ratchet said with a chuckle. Then he scanned everyone there. He frowned slightly. "You aren't getting rest, Appa."
"I'm fine. I HAVE MY BROTHER AND MY SWEET MYSTIC! WHO NEEDS REST!?"
"You do, you little runt. Two sick people in the family is the limit at any one time. Have you forgotten who rules the roost here?" Ratchet asked his appa.
"Docker rules the roost, Sonny. I'm surprised I have to remind you."
Huge laughter greeted that.
Ratchet chuckled. "You're both exceeding goals set for you," he said as he noted Budge and Mystic's outer appearance and energetic aura. "I think this is going to be good. We might be able to transfer you both to the Care Center down the street. You can have a little private apartment but eat and socialize in the enclosed setting. Going outside is out of the question until some of your systems are at minimal optimal. Its cold out there."
"You tell us, Ratchet, and we'll do what you ask," Mystic said with his usual sweetness. He was as all Seers were, gentle, sweet and peaceful almost to a fault.
"See, Appa? Even the n00bs understand the rules," Ratchet said.
Appa Ratchet grinned at his grandson. "If you say so, Sonny. If you say so."
HUGE laughter again.
"Has their team been here to help them and talk about things or is that for later?" Ratchet asked Docker.
"Later," Docker said. "I'm going to be the contact when you aren't here and I'm going to sit in on the whole thing. I want to know more about this. I have a duty to learn."
Ratchet stared at his amma a moment, his brave amma. "You're tough little ragamuffin. We'll do it together."
"What's the next step?" Ratch asked his grandson.
"We'll keep on the protocol, then move out of here when its time to go upward in independence. That's the Center down the road. They have berth rooms that are like little apartments. You'll have a homey place to be. There's game rooms and lounges. You can visit with others and play games, have the family in and eat in a communal area.
"Maybe there's some from your neighborhood or something. Miracles happen here all the time," Ratchet said. "When you're ready we go there. Then after that we go to an independent apartment with visiting staff until you can fully leave into an apartment next to us."
"It sounds nice, Ratchet," Budge said with a gentle voice.
They would visit for a while before Ratchet left to go do rounds with his private patients. He would do so feeling better. Both of them were making steady if small progress.
=0=At a school
She stood in line to get her snack. They were in the cafeteria room where their tiny tables waited for them. Halo took her little cup filled with tiny frosted cookies and walked to the table. Sitting down, she waited for Omi Sela to bring drinks with the room amma.
She glanced around the room with seating for about 20 kids and a few adults. It was furnished with comfortable chairs for adults and small comfortable ones for kids. Pictures of cartoon animals from Cybertron were on the walls and it was cute.
"I think everyone can eat a snack now," Sela said as she sat with her own on a chair. "Who would like to share first?" she asked with a big smile on her pretty face.
Servos went up.
"How about you, Delio?" she asked a tiny mech who bore the simple color scheme of a Primus Mission baby.
He smiled like the sun. "I gotted a … I got to have a …" He glanced at his bestie, a little mech named Bondee who giggled at him. He giggled and smiled at Bondee then glanced at Sela. "I gotted from my Nana … I got," he paused to glanced at Bondee who was grinning at him. He smiled again. "I gotted this … I got a thing …"
It would take a while before the tiny mech could tell what he gotted.
Halo would be thoroughly entertained.
So would Sela and the room amma.
=0=Out there
Hardie sat on the command chair of Corsair as the last group of ships went through the bridge. On the great titan, a lot of Decepticons and a number of refugees were getting medical attention. None of the Cons had more than rudimentary medical attention, most of it before from the protoform specialist, himself only a marginal medical mech. The medical teams on board were busy as one armed paper hangers getting everyone the attention they needed.
Paragon had gone back to do intake interventions at Central Point in the Elder care facilities there. It was his baby and he helped there when he was released until everyone was taken in.
"What's the status of our mission at this moment, Delphi?" he asked his bond.
"We're ready to leave, Hardie. I detect no transmissions from outside this sector from anyone, let alone their HQ," Delphi said as he glanced up. "We can go."
"Very well," Hardie replied. "Hard Drive to Prime."
A pause ensued then Optimus was heard over the intercom. :Prime here:
"We're done here, Optimus. Any further orders or do we return?" Hardie asked.
:No, General. Thank you. Please return. I am assuming that Corsair will stay with us at Mars until the medical patients are released to other care?:
"That's right," Hardie said. "We'll leave then."
:Come home: Prime said. :Well done, everyone. Prime out:
Hardie glanced at the pilot. "Take us through after clearance, Revo."
"On it, General," Revo said as he contacted Flight Center at Fort Max. They were released so he turned the massive ship to fly into the center of the bridge. He aligned Corsair, then the big ship flew in to disappear forever.
Or the next mission this way.
The bridge collapsed and there was no further sign that anyone had ever been there. Five destroyed bases would be a mystery to the
Cons if they came this way. It would be a very strange and very dangerous mystery for them to unravel.
Where were their people and what could have obliterated their bases, all five of them so completely?
=0=TBC 5-29-2022
Your great notes tomorrow. Hugs for the weekend. We earned it. Love you all so much. =Nana.
An old saying, busier than a one armed paper hangar. (wall paper)
