The Diego Diaries: Talk (dd7 24)
=0=The next morning heading for school
They gathered on the sidewalk, fifteen new kids along with the others. They carried their book bags and some had lunches for a field trip their group was taking later in the afternoon. As the bus for Youngling Day pulled up all of them turned to Prime, Prowl, Ratchet, Ironhide, Raptor and Turbine.
Elkin looked pensive. "What do we do today?" he asked.
"You go to school and have a great time. We're going to talk this thing out. You kids just have to do your job at school. Let us take care of the rest," Hard Drive said gently.
They nodded, then some of them hugged their sponsors as the others walked to the bus to climb on with Sunspot, T-Bar and Spirit. The bus doors closed and it pulled out to go to the next stop on the way to Centurion.
"I like them, Ada," Rambler said as he glanced up at his genitors.
"I like them, too," Prowl said as Prime nodded.
A cab came for Hero, a bus came for Sojourner, Solus, Praxus, Miracle and Orion, then a bus came for the titanic kids. They climbed on with Rambler and away they went. Ironhide slid Halo into his hold as the group turned to each other as little cows stood placidly on leashes waiting to go wherever their doting partners wanted to go.
Cows hold no grudges.
"When is the hearing?" Ironhide asked.
"1200 hours in the big conference room in the Temple. I expect them to come locked and loaded. Everyone should be there pending stuff coming up. The witnesses already know to come. I'm having Micro along though this is my show. This is an informal hearing so I can run it the way I see fit. I expect it to be as awful as you can imagine. I've called the relevant Watch officers to be there as well as you, Ratchet, to explain the CNA part of things," Hardie said.
Everyone agreed, chatted a bit, then broke to go to work. The night before had been fun and relaxing for the tense kids who wavered a bit about their decision before coming to the only conclusion they could. Without the hearing, there would be no clubs, mentorship and choice. It was hard on everyone …
"This is fun, Abba," Elkin said as they sat on the floor in the tent eating junk food and watching The Return of The Fallen. "Why do they think that Megatronus looks like that?"
"They're guessing. I think it makes him too handsome," Raptor said as he sat beside Pudding sharing his popcorn with the little fat cow.
Nothing like pets, mocking movies and junk food in a tent to make a mech feel like a mech.
They laughed, then watched as a pretender began to put the moves on Sam.
Sio grinned. "That's a strange looking pretender. You have pretender gear, right? Can you look like her?" he asked Raptor.
Raptor laughed, then glanced at a smirking Turbine. "I don't know. I'm afraid to find out."
The movie would go onward, the kids would enjoy themselves but the current of tension wouldn't leave.
=0=IH v R Haus
Ironhide turned off the lights, then walked to the berth room to flop on the bed. Ratchet joined him, then it was quiet a moment.
"You know, Ironhide, that your caste is fragged. Right? I always thought so but now … your caste exceeds my expectations and those were never very high to start with," Ratchet said with a grin.
"You should have grown up in it. It was fragged before I was separated and it'll always be fragged," Ironhide said.
"Those kids are scared about this. They really put store on doing what they're doing. This better be good. I better be good," Ratchet said.
"You will. This is already banned and there's laws from Cybertron to ensure that kids are protected and have some rights even though they're still in the custody and bound by their genitor's care and decisions."
Ratchet nodded. "A baseball bat in an alleyway is easier and faster."
"I won't disagree," Ironhide said with a grin. "Good night, Ratchet."
"Good night, Ironhide."
Down the hallway three kids were laying on berths chatting to each other as Sunspot listened.
"Tomorrow is going to be long," Coros said. "I'm not changing my processor. This is what I want to do. I wish they'd get it."
"I know," Pulley said. "Abbas along some of our appas and ammas will help us. Lord Hardie gets us."
"Appa is the greatest," Sunspot said as he leaned down to peer at Pulley and O.D. on the bottom bunks. "He has wisdom."
"I like your family, Sunspot. They're nice and they don't think they can just run our lives," Coros said. "I never lived anywhere where you could decide things without a ton of rules making it all harder."
"My atar and ada … my whole family believes you need to do and learn things. My brothers are the greatest. I get to be a coach for the Kavaliers. They let me do things and I go with them. I love it," Sunspot said. "They'll help you. I know this to be true."
Coros nodded. "I like your family. Adopt me."
Sunspot laughed. "Ada and Atar adopted me. I was a Decepticon soldier. I was on the Earth and no one was helping me. I hid out and the humans shot at me sometimes. I think they were scared. My ada and atar took me from there and adopted me."
They listened to him, a sweet happy little kid, then Coros looked over at Sunspot who was also on the top bunk. "You were a soldier?" he asked with surprise.
Sunny nodded. "I was. There was no one to take me in when I was small. My ada and atars left somewhere and never came back. I had no one and they were the only ones who helped me. No one else did. I tried to talk to strangers on the street because I didn't know what to do and where to go but they didn't speak to me. I was hungry so I hid out until the Decepticons found me and gave me a home."
It was tomb-like in the room.
"What happened, Sunspot, after that?" O.D. asked almost afraid to hear.
"I was in the war. I got shot and stabbed. It hurt but I didn't make a sound. I hid out and tried to get by. Megatron hated me. I was on his ship and they made me go out to fight. I did. He was never nice to me. I was always afraid. Then I got left behind on Earth and it was so scary. I don't like humans. They hurt me," Sunny said as he thought about times that seldom entered his processor any more.
Coros vented a sigh. "You don't have to worry about that again, Sunny. We're here to protect everyone."
"I'll help you. I've been in war. I can fight," Sunny said. "We can help our people together."
The kids murmured agreement, then the room fell into silence once more. It would be morning again soon enough and school beckoned.
=0=The Residence
Prowl watched from the doorway as the kids played in the pool with T-Bar, Rambler and Spirit. Miracle and the girls were standing on the pool side laughing at the kids in the water. They were playing some kind of ball game and the laughter was loud.
He walked back into the corridor to head for the kitchen. He had work spread out on the counter, a common occurrence given the kids usually had things happening on the dining room table nearby. He stared at the work before him, essential things that needed to be done. Then he thought about his own growing up with his genitors and grand genitors.
Shadow and Zenith had been by for dinner a short time ago, a quiet affair that was aided along by the children and Optimus. It appeared to him that they had a genuine interest in the children, all of them and he felt better about that because they did. He didn't expect to see them again any time soon. Their work was their master.
Optimus walked in to get his evening snack and cup of something hot. It was waiting on the counter for him as usual. He leaned against it as he watched Prowl work. "What is the probability for tomorrow do you think, Prowl?"
Prowl considered that. "They don't appear to be flexible about the aspirations of their kids. I don't have a good feeling about it but I hope it can be resolved swiftly. They need to keep their family units together. If they were mine I'd be difficult to live with if they weren't home."
"You and me both," Optimus said. "They are very nice infants. I hope this works out," he said as he picked up his dish and cup. "Thank you for this. I am just about finished."
"Don't work all night again," Prowl said with a grin. "You don't want to be a grind like me do you?"
Prime grinned. "Maybe. Maybe not." He walked to the door and headed for his big office to continue to work out the things that needed his attention. The job never ended.
Prowl watched him go, then grinned. "You will be many things, Orion Pax, but a grind will not be among them."
=0=1130 hours on the TMC
Lady Sela watched the last class for the morning schedule from Youngling Day climb onto their bus to head back to school. She grinned and waved as they shouted and waved back. The bus pulled out of the back parking lot and disappeared down the drive. She walked back in, then headed for her office down in the private section of the Temple where the priests lived and worked.
Entering, she walked to her desk, then sat to contemplate the upcoming hearing that would determine a number of difficult things for a number of families regarding their children. She would be there as a reference and mediator resource for General Hard Drive. Though she had no vote in the outcome, she was a force of reason and love that everyone everywhere respected.
Gravitas walked past, then turned back in to walk to the desk. "How are you?"
"Tense. I'm always unnerved that this sort of thing still comes up," Sela said as Gravitas sat in a chair nearby.
Gravitas nodded. "I know. I often think of myself before the realization came to me and I can hardly bear it. I think the part that's so awful is my lack of self awareness about my own entitlement. When I think of the liberties that I took it makes me cringe. I feel genuine shame and embarrassment."
"You've reconciled that haven't you, my dear Gravitas?" she asked gently.
"I have until something from this blighted scenario comes up. No one will win against this court because this court uphold the laws of Cybertron, The Code and the Will of Primus. I wish that they would understand that. It's the only pathway to true peace, the idea that we must love and take care of each other, all of us together," Gravitas said as he fretted.
Sela nodded, then leaned forward. "Why don't you visit Unidad and speak to the humans there about classes? They asked me to come and I cannot make it. Would you do that for me, dear Gravitas?"
"I would be honored. I suppose the contact person is Pastor Millie?" he asked.
"She is," Sela said as she stood. "That will help me greatly. I have to get the big conference room ready. They will be here shortly."
They walked out together, great friends and comrades. It would be a long afternoon in the Temple.
=0=Arrival
They came, tense families and their representatives. Ratchet and Ironhide arrived and so did Hard Drive, Turbine as a Maker, Raptor and Prowl as ad litems along with Ironhide and Prime. No-A was there as a resource as they gathered in the rearranged room that presented enough seating for everyone and tables for the principle players to sit around. It was informal and when Hardie, Micro and Turbine entered, most of them had their places already. They rose, waited until Hardie and Turbine sat, then sat themselves.
It was oppressively quiet in the room, then Hardie began.
"I am General Hard Drive of Praxus, Senior Praxian Military Elite on world and perhaps in all of the Empire ..."
TBC 6-26-19
ESL
grind: (gr-eye-nd) Someone who is so focused on what they do that there's nothing else. A workaholic is a grind. Someone who lives a humorless regimented life is a grind.