The Diego Diaries: Incident: Home Front (dd8 258)
=0=Terra
They backed the truck into the large animal emergency entrance of the Animal Hospital of Terra, then halted as a prep team stepped forward to take the horse into possession. He was standing with a blindfold and a medic patting him. He was no problem on the ride, standing still with his helm drooping from the painkillers and sedative given on the scene.
The hoist lifted him up, a sagging body of a horse, then set him gently on the ground where he stood swaying as his leg jerked from the pressure of standing. Gently, with help on each side, Rowdy limped in followed by a pensive Drift, Ratchet and Springer. He was taken into a surgical theater where he was placed next to a table that was tilted on its side.
Hooking him to a machine, entering more drugs into his system, they strapped him against the table, then gently, slowly began to return it to level. Pressing the horse against the table, they comforted him as it slowly lowered until he was on his side. It was about then that he was sedated fully.
"Good job," Bolo said as he patted Rowdy's neck. "I'll assist with you, Doctor, if you don't mind. I really like this horse."
Doctor Marceau nodded as he pulled a tray next to the table. "I would be happy if you do, Bolo."
The two of them began to work on the horse, opening panels that were broken from the entrance of a large reverberating blast of energy. It would take a while to clean things up, then locate the projectile that had made the hole and created the shockwave that had caused so much trouble and had made such a wound.
Ratchet watched as they worked, then turned to the silent mechs watching nearby. Walking to Drift, he patted him on the shoulder. "I think he's going to be fine. Two great doctors and the whole planet pulling for him. Its funny how that is. A 100 people can die in a tsunami but if a dog does its like the world ends. I think they're so pure that they really tug on your spark."
Drift nodded. "This horse is a champ. I love riding him and we mesh. He's a … friend. You know?" he asked with misery on his face. "He never complains or fails. He's just a good spark."
Ratchet nodded. "Pure, see? Animals, all of them, they're pure. Too pure for this slag. That's why they don't live as long as us. They live as long as they can, then they go back to where perfect fits."
Springer squeezed Drift's servo. "He's going to be good. You might have to ride another horse for a while but he's coming back. He likes what you do."
"I hope so," Drift said.
Ratchet tugged on Drift's servo and they followed him to the hallway nearby and a lounge where they'd sit and wait.
=0=Around
"Someone shot a horse tonight."
"What?"
"Someone shot a Watch patrol horse tonight on a call. They took him to the Animal Hospital in Terra but I don't know how its going."
"How the hell do you shoot a horse?"
"I don't know. I'd love to be on the jury though."
That would be consensus opinion in the bars and clubs of Autobot City this night.
=0=Out there
Paladin walked from his office to the deck where he sat down to stare at the space before them. It was filled with dangerous static but he couldn't really see it. The invisible hand of death was there waiting to snatch someone to their end if they weren't aware.
Lancer had recalibrated the time they'd be stuck here. He put it at about three more orns before the intensity would allow them to pass. Somewhere out there was ships with intel that he needed to parse out the mystery of the Prime and his Omega beacon. It called for them to come and carried the voices of Starscream and Rainmaker as well.
He didn't have Seekers with him. They evaporated like snow on a sunny orn when the news of Megatron's kill order reached even them. They were there and then they weren't. That was before the screws began to turn and everyone was stuck. Where they were, he didn't know. He wanted them to come but he couldn't find them. When Seekers wanted to hide or conceal themselves, fat chance finding them.
He took off with his mechs and ships raiding their way out to this stretch which was a gamble. It was here that the graveyard of dreams began. So far, they were doing a fairly good job of making their way as swiftly as they could. Soon they would be out of the worst of it heading toward more open space up the spiral arm of this, The Great Galaxy as his species called it.
He would head for a place called Earth, the home of the species that called this The Milky Way. Somewhere between here and there was the Prime. Someone he knew. Someone he wasn't surprised had achieved what he knew was accomplished from the few bits and pieces he'd heard about. Riches were had and he was going to have his share.
All they had to do was get through this sector and link up with his crews. They were to follow the beam to the end and report what they saw. He believed in them and he knew that Cord would make it happen. That mech was solid and smart.
Sitting back to reflect on the future, the smartest, sharpest, least adversely affected and most strategic phase sixer ever created bided his time.
=0=The Hourly News, 2200 joors on the TMC
"This is Aleph with the latest news, sports and weather. Tonight at 0937 on the TMC a brawl outside of The Golden Horde Bar and Grill erupted between two yet unknown groups of individuals. The Watch was called and arrived along with a couple of horse back mounted patrols. During the melee that followed a gun was discharged and struck one of the horses in the shoulder.
"The melee was contained and the horse, Patrolman Rowdy owned by Commanders Ironhide of Praxus and Ratchet of Iacon and on loan to the Watch was transported by animal ambulance to the Animal Hospital at Terra where he is being cared for. Its not known just yet what his condition is but he had surgery on an unyet specified portion of his anatomy.
"The horse was among the first group that were trained to be mounted police and the first officer in the Watch to be injured in a very long time. He is the first officer to sustain serious wounds in the line of duty. When there is more information it will be released to the public.
"Those in the altercation were arrested and transported to the Iacon Courthouse jail to await pleas in Magistrate's court in the morning. No names have been released and the investigation is ongoing. We will hold good thoughts for Rowdy's full recovery from his injuries.
"In other news, the councils will be meeting tomorrow in the Representative's House and it will be an open meeting to set the agenda for the colony's building code revisions and the ongoing colony and Cybertronian wide census. The sessions begin at 1000 joors on the MCA.
"We're going to the Community Bulletin Board for local and school information, then return to talk to Jacx for an update on the condition of the patrol horse shot during a public disturbance in City 5 of District 4. We'll be right back," Aleph said as the screen changed to the rolling crawl of the Community Bulletin Board.
=0=Out there
They flew ever onward testing the feasibility of getting a bridge home. Too soon, kaboom. Just right, hello, homeys!
Cord sat in the co-pilot's seat considering the situation as it stood. His kids, friends and comrades were still in the armada. They were good mechs, all of them. They were working stiffs like him who joined the Decepticons out of frustrated rage that their lives never got better no matter how long and hard they worked.
None of them got respect in their culture. They were 'working capital stock', a name their overlords referred to them rather than calling them people. It was what they were viewed as, stupid, replaceable and about as worthless as individuals as could be. Condescension, disdain and ego barrages by their 'overlords' had taken a toll on everyone. Deep in their psyches they were scarred.
When the revolution had come it was swift and with the most intense explosion of rage, of the caged finding the keys and rushing out. They broke everything in their path as they did, aligning with someone who said all the right things. When they found him as full of shit as anyone else, they were trapped.
Then the decimations came.
Lining up to listen in fear to the two maniacs howl backed by a phalanx of phase sixers, they stood in terror as every tenth mech was counted off and slain before their very eyes. Brothers were killed in front of brothers, friends as well. Cord personally saw two bonds die that way leaving devastated surviving spouses behind.
It broke things inside to be tough, a good fighter, true blue and responsible to the ranks to be unable to resist such things. One was scarring. Two was unbearable as all over the Empire mechs seethed in fear and rage. What they could do was tempered by where they were so it was easier for those like him on the very fringes to leave and not be noted for a while.
They had and all was well until now. He hadn't thought about the future beyond here, getting his mechs out, keeping them together. Now they were separated and the first real chance for a life that might be what their dreams were made of was grinding between his desire to flee and his innate love for his squads.
He noted that Bardo was staring out the window at the stars beyond. The odd bit of Borg ship floated by but that was getting less and less often. He wondered what that mech was thinking. Was he considering the possibilities of having a life with the other 'Cons in Prime's paradise? Was he regretting leaving their old life? He had no idea.
Did he have it in him to hope again? Would dreams ever have a chance or was he a fool? Could any of them have hope again?
Cord brooded and made plans, some he kept and other he discarded. Somewhere in this was a solution. His ace in the hole? The handful of Immortals on the ships flying with them. Never in his life was he ever so grateful for so few. Maybe one more time they could save Cybertronians caught in a vice.
Maybe.
=0=Home
Ratchet tiptoed into the apartment to note that Ironhide was dozing in his chair. He roused, then glanced up. "Hi, sleeping beauty."
Ironhide grinned. "I am aren't I."
"Won't get an argument from me," Ratchet said as he leaned down to kiss the big mech.
"How's Rowdy and the boys?" Ironhide asked as he clicked off the TV and rose to go to bed.
"He's going to make it but he won't be riding patrols for a while. He has a bad shoulder wound that missed vital stuff by centimeters. He's going to stay in the stable and Drift will ride Yancy. Springer is switching it up. The boys look and feel like slag but tomorrow is another orn."
They walked off down the darkened hallway to bed.
=0=In an office getting ready to go home
It was late and the shift wasn't quite over but things were quiet and they decided to go home. Leaning over the bassinet, Springer gathered Tell and walked to the desk where his Seeker style travel bag was laying. He put him inside, then fasted him in. Picking the sleeping baby up, Tell sagged to the bottom like they always did, mimicking a comforting sense of containment that all babies loved in all galaxies everywhere. Tucking him into his hold, he glanced at Drift.
Drift was watching Springer gather the baby with a pensive expression.
"You okay?" Springer asked.
Drift shrugged. "I love that horse. We're a team. I hate to see helpless things get hurt. Especially when I'm the cause of it."
"You didn't shoot him and Rowdy always runs up in the paddock when we come. He likes what we do. This is awful but its not your fault. Let's go home."
Drift nodded as they walked to the door, leaving to go to their home in Iacon. The lights would go off and it would become quiet in the big office they shared.
Tomorrow would be another day.
=0=TBC 09-23-2021
ESL
calibrated: (cal-ih-brate-d) To carefully set, adjust or set for measure. To recalibrate is to do it again.
Bided: (bide: bye-d) To wait.
Condescension: (con-deh-sen-shun) an attitude of patronizing contempt. Sneering at 'lesser beings' and treating them like they were stupid and worthless.
disdain: (dis-dayn) feeling of someone or something is worthless, contempt
Decimations were a practice of the Roman army when they wanted to regain control or punish units which didn't perform to expectations. They lined up the troops, then killed every tenth man no matter who or what he was. It was a terror tactic, one that was rare but did what they wanted. Its canon in Transformers. I'd have to dig to find it but it is. Its a cowardly thing and when Romans speak of barbarians and express in their writings astonishment at the cruelty of those they conquered hypocritical. It would be awful to be the tenth person. Hugs, my angels.