The Diego Diaries: Jammin' (dd8 499)
There's a youtube channel called secureteam 10 and they show photos that are captured by people with telescopes or phone cameras or supplied by space agencies. One showed an enormous black rectangle object in or near the corona of our sun that they calculated must be 1,000 miles long. The channel speculated that its sharp edges indicated a ship, maybe a generational one. It might have been recharging its fuel in that orbit. It makes dreads tiny. :D
=0=Out there
The Decepticons in the mass were all marked, those that were obvious cover ups or those who didn't change anything on their vessels It would be up to Springer and his teams to take them out. After the scans there would be 2400 individuals to be added to the collection of unknown, unsorted 'Cons who were or would be grabbed during this and other migrations and sorties through the space bridges from Omega Base.
It was fortunate that Gee-Gee and her teams were so good at what they did or they'd have a mass of nasty intractable losers in their midst that could fill a small town.
=0=Morning on Mars
They walked into their classrooms for school as ever. Even though a lot of the students in the system had genitors in the migration both as soldiers and civilian workers, the beat went on.
Neo grinned at her little group as they hippity-skippitied back to their lockers to put their things up. Recess was over and they were ready to rock and roll such as it was. They rushed to their little tables and chairs to sit. "Welcome, my little angels. Let's see who is here," she said as she picked up her datapad. "Orion?"
"I LOVE YOU, NE-HO!"
Neo chuckled. "I love you, too. Praxus?"
"I'm here, Amma Neo!"
Neo grinned. "I see that. Bleu?"
"Here, AMMA!" he said with his usual exuberance. He had blossomed from a small quiet and unassuming boy into a confident little mech.
Neo continued.
"Han?"
"Here, Amma."
"Mimi?"
"HERE!"
"Olo?"
"Here, Amma. I got a fish."
A moment of hoo-hah occurred to celebrate the fish, then Neo continued. "Echo?"
"Here, Ada." A big little chuckle emanated from the tiny bit. "I mean Amma."
Neo grinned. "El?"
"I'm here, Amma," El said as she waved at Neo.
Neo waved back. "Solus?"
"I'm here, Amma Neo."
"Uraya?"
"Here, Amma. I love fish. Olo has a fish."
Neo grinned at the kids. "I heard that from someone." She put down her pad after sending her attendance in. She would be receiving Kaon in an orn. He was finishing projects at Sparkling Day before being transferred. By then, the class list would be closed. "Alright. Any things I need to know before we begin?"
The list would be long, goofy and funny.
=0=Temple Primary School of Autobot City-Mars
"We need to clean our little work spaces now," 'Amma' Sela said as the kids finished their breakfast and/or snacks. It took a moment to get things in order with their aide, Amma Nonnie. Then they walked to the classroom where they were working on different skills and projects. Student teachers followed them, all three of them and they would work with the kids all orn long as part of a hands-on practicum that was part of their training.
All of the schools in the colony including the private and religious ones helped mentor student teachers into the profession. Whatever the newbie wanted to do could be matched with a teacher who would help them. Sela had three. Neo had one and Bron-E had one as well. It was a way to pay back what they'd received from others.
The kids would benefit and so would the colony in the long run.
"What now, Amma?" Halo asked as she stared upward at 'Amma' Benjie. He was a young kid with a love for teaching who was working in the classroom with Sela. It didn't matter that he was a mech and young. To Halo, every teacher and aide it seemed was an amma.
Benjie grinned. "Whatever Amma Sela wants, imp." He sat down on the floor with her to work on counting games. She would be very, very good at counting games. She would be better with munitions than cards however.
=0=At the store
After a cab ride into town, Budge and Mystic had a tour of RTR Tools, exclaiming with Appa Ratchet over the work that was on display, the size of the place, the incredible work room with all that was needed to do such precision and exacting things as well as the lounge where they now sat resting from their exertions.
The others had gone to school, Corr, Chan and Docker. Ratchet had a few more orns compassionate leave before he had to go as well. Tie and Ravel fussed over them, then began to work nearby as everyone chatted happily.
"I was thinking we could work out your designs, Budge, then you and I could make them," Ratchet said. "We can get a little shop. There's one down the concourse that was a restaurant, a takeaway place that's coming open. The owners need more space so they moved out yesterday. This is small but could hold a nice little workshop. The things could be displayed really nicely in the big windows and the little front area."
"You can do readings as well there, Mystie," Budge said hopefully. He glanced at his brother. "How can we do that, Ratchet?" Budge asked. "What do we have to do?"
"My Ratchet can do it," Ratchet said. "Sonny knows everyone. He can fix it." Ratchet glanced at his son. "What do you think, Tie?"
"I can help Ratchet, Atar. What you need to do now is recover. None of you need to rush into this," Tie chided gently. "We can see about getting and holding the shop if you want it. I'd like to have you near us if you mean to do this. You don't have to work at it every day either. You can have limited hours and appointments for customers.
"Some of our artisans are not up to full time so they have webpages in the directory for businesses. All of us have them even RTR. We put images of our work, our joors and information on the pages. The customers put in their orders and pick up times can be arranged. None of you are up to full time work anymore. Besides, you have school as well."
Ratchet nodded. "I can do school around this. We can think about having it that way. Ravie and Tie work every orn. They're dedicated to this."
"We're younger and more well, too. We can take care of all of you, Ravie and me," Tie said as he dipped a long blade into oil. It burst into flames, then he pulled it out glistening and dripping oil off its smooth glass-like surface.
They would talk and plan. By the time that the Business Bureau received their application, the tiny shop three down from them would belong to Budge, Mystic and Appa Ratchet. It would be called Mystique Arts.
It would be the culmination of a dream made eons ago finally fulfilled. It would take a while before any of them were up to making it real but it was theirs and it was a start.
=0=Delegate Assembly
Docker sat in the General Assembly room listening to delegates discussing things from the podium during the open period. It was when delegates spoke on the record about this or that thing. There were delegates here and there in the giant room but not everyone. This was a different kind of event, one that was broadcast on the live stream that was always filming in this space.
She was going to have her turn to put on the record her thanks to the staff of the care centers and hospital at Central Point. She wanted them to have a notice from the Delegate Assembly acknowledging what they did and the happiness they gave to others to just be there for suffering families like hers.
The mech concluded so she got up from her chair to walk down to the front where the podium was waiting. She pulled out the little step under the podium, then climbed up. "Thank you, Mr. Speaker," she said to the mech sitting in a desk behind her who was running the show. He nodded and she continued. "A few orns ago my long lost brothers-in-law were rescued and brought to the colony. They were very debilitated and needed the kind of expert care that our colony is becoming famous for providing.
"I would like to offer my gratitude and thanks for their care of Budge and Mystic of Iacon. Without you there, all of the workers and the centers in Central Point, we would struggle to give them the care they deserve and need. I don't think enough praise is given to people who make quality of life for all of us. Workers of all kinds in all the professions are the ones who make life endurable and they aren't told enough that this is so.
"I would like to make up with this in some small way the kind of gratitude and happiness we feel about your assistance and expertise. Thank you from the Ratchet family of the House of Pergo for all you did to help us. We will never forget it." With that, Docker stepped down for another and walked toward the door to go to her office to work a bit before afternoon classes. She would do so with great happiness and gratitude.
=0=In a hangar at the Big Frame District's hospital
Ratchet read the data, checked with the work on the big mech who was standing in suspension in a hangar device that kept him off his peds and allowed the work needed to proceed. It was going very, very well.
"I think he's going to be ready to come to sentience once the plating is restored. The rest of the work can continue inside and it'll be easier on Beta not to see his insides."
Carbo who was an armor specialist for the big frames nodded. "That's nearly ready. A sky crane will fly it out and allow us to attach it by holding it in place. It'll be a fast and relatively easy fix."
"Their armor formulation is rare," Ratchet said. "I'm glad we have the tech manuals. I had them but they're somewhere I can't find. It isn't a good thing for my little library to be shot as much as I have been."
Carbo grinned. "Well, let me know. I have the formula for medical vehicles memorized."
They laughed, then continued. In about two orns Beta would be brought around and in four would be released from the frame holding him up and in place.
Win-win.
=0=At a ship with Decepticons
Springer rapped on the hatch with his big gun. "Open up. Welcome Wagon."
A burst of fire through the door greeted that overture.
Springer sighed as he stared at the holes sucking in vacuum. "That wasn't nice." With that, he fired on the hatch, blew it to bits, then slipped inside with the boys following hot on his heels.
"BLAM! BLAM! BLAMMITY-BLAM-BLAM!"
Just another orn in paradise.
=0=TBC 8-13-2022
Welcome Wagon was a neighborhood thing really popular during the fifties where new people would be welcomed into a new house by volunteers of the Welcome Wagon. They introduce newcomers to local businesses, etc.
