The Diego Diaries: Noshing (dd8 88)
=0=Iacon in The Tower In The Sky
They sat in a large group, the Crater Comets, assorted family and hangers-on doing the usual post game chow down and bitch fest. Ratchet sat between Drift and Springer holding Tell. He was wide awake, staring around with his cute little optics as he smiled at anyone who looked at him.
"This is one mellow infant," Ratchet said. "But then, all my grandchildren are mellow. All of them. You know, the number that surpasses yours." Ratchet smiled at Prowl who was tapping his digits on the table as he calculated the physics required to snatch the baby from Ratchet.
"Keep talking," Prowl said with a smirk.
Food arrived, Tell disappeared into Springer's hold and everyone began to dig in, some included helping the kids get started.
It was quiet a moment, then Prime glanced at Springer and Drift. "Rather nice western touch rounding up the little doggies. How many mini-cons were netted and taken off?"
"The final count was 62," Springer said. "We saw that break out and decided to try something a fisherman showed me about the nets Fish and Wildlife use to capture animals and fish without hurting them. Its just enough voltage to end the futility of escape."
"Where can I get one?" Ratchet asked. "I just got a new duvet idea for the berth."
Ironhide glanced at him, then frowned. "Slagger. ABUSE! CASTE COURT!"
"I'd think you wouldn't want anything to do with Caste Courts lately," Raptor said with a grin at his grandson.
Ironhide frowned. "I'm still not talking to you."
"I think you should sing then," Turbine said. "You have a wonderful voice."
"I have several roles in mind for him when he gets some down time, Turbine," Trooper said with a wink. "Nothing like great opera to clear the processor."
"I AM IRONHIDE! I DON'T DO OPERA!"
"If I asked you?" Scout asked sweetly.
Ironhide stared at his sweet absentminded amma who was so in love with music and theater that they even had it when they were marooned. "Not even for you."
It was silent a moment as everyone stared at him. He sat in his seat with a forkful of food in one hand and a knife in the other. He began to feel the heat. "I know what this is. You stare at me until I squirm."
"Is it working?" Scout asked.
"NO! Maybe," Ironhide said with a grin. "Frag all of ya. I AM IRONHIDE! I AM GOING TO EAT THIS FOOD! I WON'T BE SINGING OPERA!"
Everyone laughed.
"You could. He sang like a champion during the prayer cycles," Turbine said.
"Are you still doing them?" Hercy asked as he grinned at Ironhide. Recruit was a cute mech.
"We finished. They don't come up again until just before the Festival. Then we start two decaorns before and finish two decaorns after. This cycle was to finish up those for the dead from the Functionalist fiasco," Turbine said.
"Ah, that was terrible," Steiner said. "You missed a lot," he said as he glanced at Medco, his 'very good friend *WINK WINK*!'according to Aunt Lissie.
Medco who was a superstar on Velocitron and one of the greatest racers ever considered that. "How's the Functionalist community since then? I know it was never big on Cybertron and there weren't any on Velocitron. Was there any blow back for them here and there?"
"Not that we're aware of," Turbine replied. "The Guiding Hand was slapped hard by that as well and we worried that there'd be sectarian strife from it. There were a few fights but mostly it was clear that they weren't even remotely close to either sect, those slaggers."
"That's good. We have our own problems on Velocitron. There was a lot of divisions around who could race and everyone else who didn't. We sort of skewed ourselves around it and it caused conflict," Medco said.
"Velocitron is on the list to move," Kup said. "What about it there?"
"We have no problem with that. It'll be nice to have a sun again. We share that with Cybertron," Medco said. "I think being back in the fold will help make us more diverse. All there is there is racing. Either you race which is good or you don't which too many consider bad. Its a bit like the System of Exception but based on racing. I'm tired of it myself."
"We have a lot to still sort out," Optimus said. "I look forward to the orn when everyone finds what they need and are happy."
"I suppose you're going to be a major team player when the racing season opens soon," Sun said.
Medco grinned. "I look forward to it. Blurr and I have a history."
"You aren't the only one looking forward to it," Smokey the Younger said. "Its incredible how fast you two run."
The conversation continued as the orn drew into night. Outside, the town was celebrating the Martian team wins in the bars and restaurants. Tomorrow, the school week would begin again and all would fall back into routine.
That is, they would if trials with special circumstances and interviews with pirates were routine among other old and new business.
=0=Later that night
"So what do you think about Steiner's beau?" Ratchet asked as they gathered up to hit the hay.
"Medco seems likable and decent. Uncle Steiner is a good mech. He deserves a 'good friend'." Ironhide chuckled. "Aunt Lissie does, too."
"Is she a femme chaser or does she like the boys?" Ratchet asked as he lay back on the berth with a sigh.
"Don't be messing with my auntie. Lissie is capable of doing what she wants. Any femme that shoots that good will find and do what they want just fine without meddling old mechs messing with them," Ironhide said as he lay back and the lights went off.
Outside, the light from the colony was sparkling and twinkling in the blistering cold thin Martian atmosphere. It was as beautiful and interesting to look at as ever.
"Frag you, Ironhide. Sing me something," Ratchet asked with a smirk.
"Frag you, Old Mech."
"Remember when you used to sing to me? Remember when you were that drunk?"
Ironhide snickered. "I remember. Barely. Good night, Ratchet."
"Good night, wuss."
=0=Outside on the curb waiting for the buses the next morning
"Ada? When will you come to my class?"
Ratchet stared down at an earnest Hero. "Soon. I have to organize my joors around having ten million children. It may be for only twenty nanoseconds but I'll wave when I run by."
She laughed. "YOU'RE SO FUNNY!"
Her cab came and she climbed in, waving out the back window until she was gone. Everyone waved back.
Sunspot's bus came, then the three titanic kids, then finally the one for Orion and Praxus.
"ADA! YOU COMEDED TO ME? I ME MY?" Orion asked.
Praxus smiled and nodded. "You come?"
Ratchet laughed. "I me my you."
They smiled at him, then climbed onto their bus when it stopped and the clipboard wielding aide who rode the bus took a head count. They drove off with waves and smiles.
Everyone watched them, then stared at the ground. Prowler with his teddy bear and Halo with her frog dollie smiled up at them.
"Bus or take to school?" Ratchet asked.
"Ravie and Tie had to go in early for something in the smelters. Bus it is," Ironhide said.
The bus came, Prowler went on and off they went.
Halo watched him go, then looked up at Ironhide and everyone else. "I goed doin' to 'kool?"
"Not on your life," Ironhide said as he scooped her up.
"She's actually edging past the age where its getting to be mandatory, Ironhide," Alor said. "She's going to have to go or Magnus will have to kick your aft and frankly, I think he's looking forward to it."
Ironhide tucked Halo into his hold, then turned to go. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I HAVE SLAG TO DO! BYE! SEE YA! WRITE WHEN YOU GET WORK, SLAGGERS!" He hoofed it off in a hurry.
"I don't know about him," Alor said with a grin. "He's going to have to give her up really soon."
"He's going to need mental health care when he does," Ratchet said as they began to walk toward The Fortress. "Mech has screws loose."
"He's going to want another dollie," Alor said.
"They have a sale on them at The Infant Center at the moment," Ratchet said as they all disappeared into the pedestrian traffic headed toward the junction.
=0=Later
The counselor sat with Jetta and Mack to go over the progress that Imaldo and Corsair were making toward depositions and other aspects of their situation. He was assigned to them by the courts when it was clear that a crime had taken place involving them through the Victim's Rights Division of the legal system.
Jetta had asked them to participate when they were too afraid and traumatized to consider what it might mean for their future. The counselor would be the one who would handle them through a trial and investigation of their case rather than do direct counseling for their hurts.
"I've gotten regular reports from their counselors and your group sessions. Its progress but not enough in my opinion to allow them to participate in the legal process without harm. There'll be depositions in which they have to tell what happened to them in detail with the defense asking questions as well. That will be hurtful though we're very strict in dealing with victims about what constitutes questioning.
"Then they'd have to be able to testify which is more open and less protected. I don't believe they're anywhere close to a court appearance. When they are I'll be there to protect them and ensure that they can handle the situation. I have some leeway in asking for conditions for them. How do you see them now? The two of you?"
Mack sat back in his chair. "They're better. We have good talks in family counseling. I have to say its helped me a lot. I was destroyed when I couldn't get them off world. All this time wondering what happened to them has been so destructive to me. But it was what it was. We were all lucky to be alive."
"Had I known they were there for the first part of the aftermath of the fighting, I would've found them. I don't know how I would've or how long it would take but they would've been found and removed from Cybertron. I ran the femme team and we never knew they were there. Then they were taken off world by those fraggers." Jetta looked as bitter and anguished as ever.
Mack squeezed his arm. "They're here now."
Jetta nodded. "Regrets can destroy you. Who among us doesn't have them?"
Artifice nodded. "I hear you. We made it off together. I sometimes wonder what its like to not have that luxury."
"Don't. It's a terrible hurt that never goes away," Mack said. "But here in this place we can make it better. So … you don't see a trial happening with them for some time then?"
Artifice shook his helm. "No. They aren't up to it. The few others that were identified aren't either. We have alerts posted in all the places where refugees are congregated. We plan to find them all. Your genitors and the others gave us a good list of names. There's always hope."
Jetta vented a sigh. "I hope we find them all."
=0=Cybertron
They walked along with Rockwell following. He was in counseling and had finally been able to go home to live with Periodic. They'd come to the same conclusion, that there was no way around the new paradigm. It was up to them to find their way forward together. Working with Sun oddly enough helped. Sun seemed to actually like him for himself, Rockwell had thought. He was still uncertain about his other family and friends. They were uncharted territory to him.
He walked along with Raptor and Sun, their aides and locals. They were going to a school newly erected to watch little kids do things. He found those events restful and good. They were good moments for him. He followed them into the perpetual night of Cybertron down a hillside to a beautiful valley with a beautiful newly restored town. Everyone was there to greet them and for a little while, Rockwell, dynastic nephew of Sentinel Prime felt just like everyone else there.
=0=TBC 02-10-2021 02-21-2021