The Diego Diaries: Jammin' (dd8 501)

=0=City Hall, Terra, mid afternoon

She smiled up at the femme smiling down at her over the desk that divided people from the offices of the city management. Tildie who was concierge of the counter and a new mom leaned over the counter to see Sil staring back. "Hi, Sil. What brings you here?"

"I have some proposals from the mentor group that we want to put to Abbi Magnus during his department head meeting. That's alright isn't it?" she asked with her big guileless blue optics.

Tildie grinned. "I don't think anyone will say no, Sil. Come on in."

She walked to the half door to open it for the tiny femme to enter. Chatting conversationally, they walked down the corridor to stop before the big conference room door. Leaning in, Tildie tapped the door.

Magnus and a good dozen department heads glanced her way. "Tildie?"

"You have a constituent representative who would like to speak to you during this meeting, Magnus," she said glancing down at Sil.

Sil who was waiting to come inside because she had no idea that you couldn't smiled like the sun.

Magnus glanced downward to see her, someone who was from a group he liked and respected greatly. "Sil. You wish to speak here?"

"I do, Abba Magnus. I have some requests and an idea from some of our constituents and I know you would want to know about it," she said.

Everyone there, mostly big mechs from unions and guilds that did heavy lifting glanced from her to Magnus, then back to her. They grinned almost as one.

"Come in, Sil. Of course we want to hear your concerns," Magnus said almost in spite of himself.

She would. She would tell them. They would talk about it, make plans and watch as she left with a smile. The door would close behind her.

It was silent a moment, then a big mech from Public Works glanced at Magnus. "I will fight for that."

Everyone nodded, braced by the sweet interlude with the serious tiny femme. Then they got back to the discussion at hand.

=0=Sitting on the cowling of a shuttle in the middle of a mass

Springer and Drift watched as the progress of repatriation began to pick up. With nearly everyone of the Decepticons found, surrendered or shot up, they could move with greater speed to bring everyone in. Nearby a number of ships were getting lined up to be towed as a group through automated processes away to be destroyed as cargo ships carrying everything that was salvaged moved away toward the bridges.

"We're going to be at this for a while," Springer said. "I hate it when they're this big, though its good to get the people."

Drift nodded. "It takes forever." He glanced at Springer. "Amma just called. He says that Tell is doing well and misses us."

"I miss him," Springer said mournfully.

Drift nodded. "He said they show him our pictures." He grinned. "They also said he made a friend at school."

Springer glanced at him with a surprised expression. "He did? That's great."

=0=At a school in Metrotitan

They stood side-by-side, two little mechs holding each other's servos as they listened to their teacher explaining what colors were. They could see them around them and liked some more than others like everyone else but they had no words for them or what they meant. That was the lesson today, to assign a name to colors.

Their teacher, Miss Lettie was signing and speaking to them about blue, yellow and red. They would play a game where they matched them to objects thereby reinforcing the word with the color. It'd be fun and when that was over they would play other games together.

A great friendship was born.

So would the parental nightmare of play dates.

=0=Later that afternoon in the colony

Coros walked from his office to the floor of the Delegate Assembly Room where the afternoon debates would be held. Though the Assembly was a full-time concern, nearly everyone who worked there as representatives of The People had other full time things to do. It would surprise humans that almost no one but Optimus Prime was a full time politician.

Given that this was so, the debates were held later in the afternoon with delegates getting out of school or work to come and fulfill their obligations to lead and formulate what The People needed and wanted.

It worked out great for Coros and his 'staff', Sil, Jessine and Pulley. Barrett had a less flexible schedule and could only come to assist on First Monday and Second Friday. Study Hall ensured that they could represent District 321A to the degree it deserved.

Entering the Assembly Room, they found their seats, set up their note taking devices, then sat back to relax. As they did Docker entered the room.

She spotted them, then walked their way. "Well, look at you. How are things coming along?"

"We're doing great, Amma. Thank you," Coros said to a femme he had come to genuinely love. "It really helped, what you suggested."

"I'm delighted then," Docker said. "The School Board is called off until the migration is fulfilled. How are you doing there?"

"Great. Appa Ironhide is helping me. I have great mentors in you and him," Coros said with sincerity. "I love this."

"I'm so glad. That bill you want to propose in committee, I signed on to support it. Very good stuff, Coros. I think expanding the scope of Youth Court is a good idea. Also having the trainee lawyers from Public Defenders is great. Maybe we can also have students from the Law School assist for training purposes."

"I like that. I don't mind having all the help we can get. The gangs are starting to try to recruit in the Intermediate School, or so someone told me," Coros said.

"That's not good," Docker said.

The gavel fell so everyone took their places. The Speaker glanced up from the agenda data pad in his servo. "Welcome everyone. Shall we begin?"

They shalled.

=0=Prime

He walked back to the command deck from the elevator after taking a break. Everyone at home was good to go. Things were relatively stable in the colony though there were groups of kids that were roaming around in a heightened state of surprise and delirium. That they were safe after their experience, that this was the result of their journey, that nothing cost anything to acquire almost unhinged some of them. Mental Health was riding along with the Watch.

He walked to the table to sit. Prowl glanced up. "The children say hello and all is well there."

"That's good," Prowl replied as he sat back and stretched. "What else do you know?"

"Some of the youth are not transitioning very well," Optimus replied. "I may have Springer and Drift go back to manage the colony and its problems."

"What else besides hoodlums is going on?" Prowl asked with a slight dread.

"Some high caste dissonance," Prime replied.

=0=Shortly later

They walked through the bridge with mixed emotions. It was good to be back, though the reasons were a bit concerning. They were unhappy to leave the migration when things could go sideways easily but the groups in hand, Lissie now commanding were stellar so they walked in with the human box with some sense of relief.

Springer put the box down on the ground, then grinned. "You slaggers ready to get out or what? Your chariots await."

Everyone glanced nearby as small trucks drove in to pull up beside the container.

:We're good to go, Springer. The all-clear is green: Lennox said as the door opened and they began to file out.

A moment of chat was had, then they climbed aboard the vehicles to drive away.

"We better book it," Springer said.

Drift nodded as they walked upward to the street where they'd transform, drive to the stables, then ride out to do battle against the heathens.

Or kids, whichever.

=0=At a street corner in City 2, District 11, a new habitation zone opening for this migration, a habitation zone big enough to accommodate everyone coming and then some …

"They went that-a-way, Boss," someone said as he pointed toward the downtown of the city.

"Then that's the way we go," Springer said as he began to trot toward the downtown of City 2 and its bright lights. The number of individuals on the street, all of them new but for the multitude there to help them navigate would be amazing.

When they saw the horses it would be slow going for Springer and the Boys as they tracked a large group of kids out having the time of their lives.

=0=Family Tower

"I think the soldier habitat is going to be fine," Niall Graham said as he sat for breakfast with the others who lived here who had gone out to the migration.

"Then how long will this last? The migration?" Thelma Lennox asked.

"A long time, Mom," Will said. "There's so many there its frightening. They have a dent going but its going to take a long time to clear things. The 'Cons are corralled and the high castes. Now its the hard slog with everyone else."

"Its amazing how they do this," Bobby Epps said. "I can't imagine how we could in their place."

"We couldn't," Ron Witwicky said as he began to eat. "I'm glad it isn't me making the decisions."

That would be universal.

=0=On the streets

They walked together in a strung out line. A number of kids from the migration, they were ambling everywhere to see things. They'd grown up in a small town like settlement and never saw anyone. That three hundred million or so bots lived here was a struggle to imagine. At least it was before they decided to sight-see. The windows of shops were amazing, the smells of restaurants and bakeries, the food trucks and other places for dining and getting food were making them hungry.

A restaurant with a bar had their doors open and the scene inside looked happy. They decided to go there and did, crossing the street against traffic. They entered the restaurant and waited to have a booth that could hold all of them. It would take a while.

=0=RTR Tools

They came in, former Decepticons who had come to the colony with their families. They were rough looking mechs though their own colors were showing. They looked detailed and clean for once. They congregated together, then looked around with awestruck faces.

Tie walked to the counter. "Can I help you?" he asked.

They turned to him, then walked to the counter.

"I would like to know how I can own a blade, Appa. I want a long bladed knife."

Tie who was assessing them as he always did pulled a book from the counter below the computer and set it down. "This is the book where we showcase our designs. Some of them are older ones, the classics as our customers like to call them. This section are new designs. If you'd decide what you want we can make it but I warn you that the list is long with many ahead of you."

The mech considered that, then grinned faintly. "I've waited this long, I can wait a bit more. How does this work?"

Tie explained the process of ordering, the idea that things didn't cost anything but were perks of contributing themselves, then took the orders of all of them. The part about no payment had opened the floodgates for the others.

They chatted a moment, then the mechs walked out.

Tie watched them go, then fed their data and images from his camera system into the database all weapons makers had to use to identify their customers and see who might not need a weapon.

The mechs were identified as newcomers, former Decepticons and they had no record of crime on Cybertron. He flagged them, then added their orders to the queue. He would get advice from Springer and Drift about this transaction. Until then he would go back to work and with his magic and Ravel's continue to carry on the tradition of artisan craftsmanship.

=0=TBC 8-15-2022

ESL

To book it: slang for getting going in a hurry.