The Diego Diaries: Cam In The Slam(mer) (dd8 76)
NOTICE! I made a story, "What Makes No Difference Is No Difference" a few years back but Diego overran it. I got the bug and bussed it up, changing out a placeholder part, #23 into a segment before adding another one, part 25. I am going to be adding new segments to it about every two days unless this gushes out like Diego and then I will aim for every day. Until that actually takes place, consider every other day or so when a new one posts. I will alert you on this story but you can always choose alerts at the story. This story is set in the Transformers: Prime universe or the World of Ratchet's Kankles. :D:D:D Hugs!
=0=Things marching on and all that
Ratchet sat in his office in the Offices of the Secretariat in the Autobot City Medical Center,
34th floor, a place where he did all his 'diplomating' and 'secretarial work'. He sat at his computer reviewing the entire schemata of the legal obligations, treaties, signed agreements, tenders, cooperation pledges, legal documentation and freedoms between those who lived in the habitats (the various humans and their organizations) and those who held ownership in them (Prime and Autobot Nation). He formulated his arguments and outlines which always defaulted back to Optimus Prime as the leader and ultimate 'king' of the Cybertronian people.
He considering using those more familiar terms in his presentation to the humans which rather neatly outlined Prime's political position and the extent of his power within their culture and politics. He also knew that some of those here were antithetical to kings and that sort of designation due to their own history, both for and against them. It was what it was. The bots used different terms for their ultimate leader but it was in some ways a monarchy and he was in some ways, perhaps in all of the important ones, King of Cybertron and the Empire.
Sentinel Prime and all of them back a ways felt that way and exercised that kind of power. Guardian, Prima and Optimus were democratic and consulted, appointed and delegated things that were his alone to decide. A lot of what the Primeship was had come down through precedent. Given that it was new and they'd just crept from slavery, Guardian was the trailblazer who set the tone and pattern which subsequent Primes would abase until Optimus came to put things to right. Because X Prime did some autocratic thing, other Primes did it as well until Optimus who was the first Prime since Guardian to include others in his thinking and decision-making process.
He sat back and stared out the window at the sunny skies and business of the colony. Out there were over 200,000,000 individuals now, most of whom considered Optimus Prime the second coming of Primus. They looked at him with confidence and gratitude. That was an unusual thing for most places he was finding. Most governed populations viewed politicians and leaders with either cult-like devotion or intense skepticism. It wasn't so here.
Optimus Prime could walk among his people without guard, stand in line at shops and ride the subway without worry or difficulty. Most of the people who saw him smiled and waved or noted him with pride, surprise changing to pleasure or gratitude. The few who had other feelings about seeing him could be distilled down to their facial glyph denoting caste but they were few. There were also former criminals and the odd salty Decepticon learning to let go but they were also few and far between, those who looked at him with less than pleasing expressions.
Many were the mechs and femmes who would go out of their way to touch him, deriving for themselves whatever that gesture meant. Touching the First Disciple of Primus, one who bore the Matrix and took spirit walks among the Pantheon during Festival was considered a blessing and it happened so much that Prime barely noticed it. That a long time soldier who was hair trigger aware of himself and his surroundings had let that go from his conscious awareness said a lot about Optimus as a mech and his personal self control.
Optimus Prime was a measured and good mech. He didn't hold grudges and he didn't keep score.
Ratchet considered explaining Prime better to the punters. He needed to tell them about the mech that he loved like a brother, the sparring partner of many a conversation, the mech who had his back and had suffered for his people's resurrection perhaps more than anyone else. It was he who bore 'the crown' and thus, he who bore the greatest responsibility for everything that happened whether he deserved to or not. It was just who he was.
It would make it better for the humans to understand that nothing Prime did was vindictive, that he was a more highly developed being than that and maybe then they would see what he did was for the greater good, that it was reasoned and that when things came to this state it was because he saw no other way to go.
Ratchet got up, put his computer on sleep mode, then walked out to do battle with the orn.
Lucien watched him walk out, then went back to the fascinating minutia of the affairs of state for Autobot Nation.
=0=Ops Center, Command Table
Prowl worked through the aftermath of the battle, its reports, problems and net gains. He organized the schedule for the following decaorn when some trials and hearings would take place including that of the Wheelus Faction. Karyll Wheelus was going to meet his match this time around, of this Prowl was clear. That fragger had been on his shit list from the time he was in the police academy. This was going to be sweet justice to him.
He considered the football game coming up on Cybertron in the Iacon Stadium, a playoff game which would make or break the team's chances. If they didn't beat the team they were to play, one whose name slipped him at the moment, they would be out of the running. Kaon had assured their footing on the first rung of playoff games.
The fraggers.
There were local things, Cybertronian things, a meet up of all the outlying base commanders shortly and then a larger gathering of district commanders from Cybertron. They would tell him what was happening, what was needed and he would make it happen. Nothing was too good for their people.
Then there were soundings of two of the larger and more significant caches of their people's treasures and genius that had to be seen to. Optimus was likely to be needed to handle some of the things found there due to their Primal nature. That was always a great event, finding things that were feared lost long ago. Though he knew there were no more Omega Keys to be found on Cybertron according to prophecy, there would be other things just as wonderful.
Conferences for children were coming up in two orns and he would take time with Optimus and the elders to hear them. All seemed very well, though the notice to bring Possibility in for Child Find by the District stung. He and Optimus had agreed that the Academy would be his first stop. That way both could have the best of both worlds with their son.
Win-win for him.
And that other guy, Optimus what's his name, too.
Prowl grinned at his little funny, then continued to compile his list. Brunch with the Squad on Second Friday, the activity list of the children and their clubs/lessons as well as his own schedule at the dojo and meditation at the Shrine of Solomus Prime, his family's patron had to be included as well. There were no more holidays other than the little ones they added to the calendar a while back that required orns off so it was the big sprint to the Festival now.
Paragon walked to the table to sit, glancing at Prowl as he did. "What's the upshot of Frazer do you think?"
"I think Optimus plays the game better than Harris. Frazer is just a frisbie. Owen is testing his limits. Its up to Optimus to see if he's done with the game or not. I lean toward the game continuing.
"Ratchet is going tomorrow to E2 for an administrative meeting of the heads of all the habitats and the Consulate. The Resort, Sciences, N.E.S.T. and the Family Tower are exempt. This is an outworlder situation. Primus Station is sending their command structure as well. Department heads and leading administrators. All of them will be there."
"Will you go, too?" Paragon asked.
"Yes and you can come as well. Maybe seeing two of us frowning at them and 'flashing our badges' will do something for their resolve about this issue. I would suggest something classic added onto your wings. Perhaps something law enforcement appropriate?" Prowl said with a slight smirk at a mech he was coming to respect and even love, this nearly temperamentally and physically simpatico individual.
Paragon chuckled. "I will consider it. I heard 'punish and enslave' is already taken."
Prowl would chuckle over that one for a while.
=0=N.E.S.T. HQ
They sat at the table eating a light snack and bitching about things that were still unfolding to make the human community look badly.
"Frazer is pressing things for Harris, this I know," Corey McFarlane said. "He's doing it to see how far Prime will go."
"I agree," Will Lennox said.
"So Ratchet has to lower the boom on the habitat leadership tomorrow?" Bobby Epps asked. "Does that mean we have to be there, too, and when I say 'we', I mean you?" He grinned at Lennox who smirked back.
"I thought it might help to have all of us go including you, McFarlane," Lennox said.
Fig Figueroa grinned at the lot of them. "My mama needs me to help her with something at her apartment. She's moving a shelf and wants to me be there so my stepfather doesn't kill himself."
"Wanker," Niall Graham replied. "Using your mama to get out of coming."
"That's alright. I can get someone else to help Mama," Lennox said with a grin. "All of us, the first team will be there. Look smart, too." He glanced at Fig. "Try."
Huge guff and laughter greeted that.
=0=That night
"ADA! WHY YOU!?"
"WHY NOT!?"
Orion and Halo who were standing side-by-side smiled brilliantly, then danced off to join the others in Hero's room. They watched them go, then Genesis grinned at Ironhide and Ratchet who were lounging in their chairs. "They're so cute. What did they ask you?"
"I don't know," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. "Have your own kids someday and you'll perfect that to a tee, the none answer answer."
"It that what it is?" Quasar asked as he walked in to sit.
Fireball was right behind him. "What about conferences?" Fireball asked.
"Are you worried about them?" Ironhide asked the tensest and most determinedly dogged about doing everything right among the nine titan kids. He was also the youngest one as well. He felt the burden, it would seem, of having fabled family to live up to, the poor sweet kid.
Fireball thought a moment. "I worked hard. I love school. I like learning things the way everyone else does. I don't like getting things downloaded. It doesn't seem like I really know anything that way."
"You infants are going to kill for your conferences," Ratchet said. "You're going to be so amazing that I'll have to take snaps and things."
Quasar grinned. "You always do. Like now."
Ratchet peered around his camera. "I only take snaps of the handsomest mechs. Ask Ironhide."
Three big kids glanced at Ironhide who was just about to stuff fudge into his pie hole.
"What?"
Huge laughter.
"You don't have them for two orns, right?" Genesis asked.
"That's right, then we walk in and hear the word from the Most High. I expect to have to sit for a while to absorb that much greatness but that's the plan," Ratchet said.
The three kids smiled at him.
"We're going to be on the stations during the two orns of conferences during the morning. We have to help with some of the systems upgrades. Some of our stuff is outgrowing our hardware so they're doing upgrades," Genesis said.
"I know. I ordered them," Ratchet said.
"Then Ammas and Appas said we can go to Cybertron and go around with them. I've never been there but for the games. I want to help where I can. We're pretty strong. Maybe we can help lift or carry things for The People," Fireball said as the other kids nodded.
"You kids are a miracle. I'm sure you'll dazzle them with your good works. A life without good works isn't worth much," Ratchet said. "My old appa always said that. 'Do good, Ratchet'. He told me that a lot growing up."
"Appa Ratchet?" Quasar asked.
Ratchet nodded. "Amma Docker would just as soon throw a Molotov cocktail at you but Appa was a lover, not a fighter. Much." He grinned at the kids and they grinned back.
"He's so cute. I love how he loves things," Genesis said. "He's always so happy and speaks so cute."
"He's a lover boy, that one," Ratchet said. "Rather like Appa Raptor and the uncles. They want to do some camping eventually, all of us together at the Valles or in the cauldera of Olympus Mons. Springer and Drift said its good hiking there."
"That would be great. Will they come? I know they have the baby now but we can help there and we can make a dome. The tech exists," Fireball said.
"I'll ask Appa when we get ready to do this," Ratchet said.
The conversation would go on as night settled on Mars.
=0=Elsewhere
"Did you feed him?"
"I did," Drift said as he washed out the bottle and set it on the rack on the counter to dry. The baby bag was packed and his night bottles were in it along with cashmere blankets, a tip off from Breakdown, the book by Ironhide, all manner of onesies to keep him safely warm, a little kit bag with wash up things and his medications as well as his toys.
Springer walked out of the wash rack with the bundled baby. It was his turn to wash Tell. He lay the baby on the tabletop on blankets, then unfolded him.
Tell lay on the blanket staring up at the two of them, then smiled that brilliant wide open smile all babies smile on all worlds in all galaxies in all universes everywhere.
They grinned back, then Springer leaned down to smell his sweet aroma, the identifying signature of their son. He stood, then nodded to Drift.
He did the same, filing it away. It would never be forgotten and they would be able to follow him wherever he went just from that simple thing. All genitors had it, hence Ironhide smelling his kids when they were babies.
"What's the time?" Springer asked as he watched Drift put the baby into a nice white onesie for travel.
"We'll make it. Sefette won't be on shift for about a half a joor yet," Drift said as he then wrapped the baby in a soft blanket. "Funny how they don't overheat. They actually run warmer than we do as infants." He glanced at Springer with a grin. "I got that from Dad's book."
Springer chuckled, then picked up the baby bag. He put it into his hold as he watched Drift place Tell inside his own. Checking the apartment, they walked out and closed the door.
Tell would slumber sweet dreams, Sefette would take care of him and solidify her own desires to have infants of her own some fine orn and law enforcement would have two of its most dedicated members on the job, clippy clopping around the colony in hot pursuit of adventure and the peace.
Thus would pass another orn in paradise.
Probably.
=0=TBC 01-26-2021