The Diego Diaries: Onward (dd7 81)
=0=HQ, District 4, Altihex, Cybertron
He walked to the data center with a stack of data pads. They were for input and contained a number of items that needed careful recording including deaths and missing persons. He carried it to the racks, then slotted them for the techs who were loading them. Taking a stack of those already finished, he walked back to the big room where he sat with Carbide working on data and other tasks as needed.
It was impossible for Pico to put into words the relief he felt that he wouldn't be going out into the field again. Sun had told him to stay here at Raptor's district headquarters and do administrative work. He'd also procured Carbide to help him.
Carbide had the same relief. They threw themselves into the work no matter how mundane and dull because it wasn't out there. All of the Senior Autobots went out each orn after getting the big picture from the local administrators who were directors of the massive field operations. It was a very sobering thing to listen to the information that they brought every morning to their bosses.
This planet was a catastrophe. It was as broken a place as they had ever seen and the details being told to the solemn faced mechs who had control over them was difficult to hear. It was worse to see and they were both grateful to the Gods that they didn't have to. Even the thought of living in one of the refugee camps was appalling.
This place was a graveyard and everywhere they looked when they went into the field, they could see a foot or arm sticking out of a pile of rubble. Sometimes the foot or arm wasn't attached to the rest of the body and sometimes there was only a field of helms or servos, nothing more.
Living with Raptor and Hard Drive was a quiet existence. They worked long joors, went back to Cybertron and usually retired to their rooms after dinner with their benefactors. It could just as easily be home to the jail. This was easier. The energy around them was softer and the solitude of their rooms soothing.
Now, they worked hard, did what they were told and attended counseling when they got home. Work. Eat. Sleep. Talk. Work. Try not to think. All of it was hard as frag. What was worse was the possibility of that first contact with the bond in a couple of orns. It would be supervised but still … both mechs dreaded it. It would be intense and raw. Neither of them were sure they could articulate their feelings.
Both of them worked hard to do their jobs and equally hard to put the thought of it out of their minds. The morning crawled by slowly in the HQ in Altihex.
=0=On the way
They flew through the bridge after waiting to be cut loose. It was dark space they reached as they slowed long enough to watch the bridge close behind them. Scanning told them that they were far enough away from anything with tech to detect them that they wouldn't be. Now they had to assume a trading route and head for the bang up settlement town of Broken Hole.
"I rather like the name of this place," Drift said as they lounged in the ship with the others. Elita was flying, they were waiting. All was well thus far.
"Broken Hole? Makes me wonder," Springer said. "By the way, don't get too far away from us. You're changed in appearance so much I won't recognize you."
"You as well," Drift said. "I get dibs on Ebio Imperialis."
"I get Cassio," Springer said darkly.
"I get him. Both of them," Chromia said with a smirk. She was lounging against Maelstrom who was listening with a grin on his face. "All of them."
"Didn't Mom ever teach you to share?" Springer asked.
"Mom may be a boss bitch but I'm bossier," Chromia said with a smirk. "Didn't dear old Dad tell you that?"
Chuckles went around the ship as Maelstrom grinned smugly. All was well in his world.
"Anything on the sensors, Elita?" Springer asked as he grinned at Chromia.
"Not yet," Elita said. "Soon. Just sit in your car seats and let Mama drive."
Laughter.
Huge laughter.
=0=Elsewhere on Cybertron
Rockwell walked behind Blackjack the Elder and Blackjack the Younger carrying a backpack filled with things for children. They were hitting the farthest places he had gone so far, the northern tier where small villages and towns were located.
Most of them were on their way in repair since they were small and the supply line was stellar now. It was pleasing to drive down repaired roads, stop in small towns where their were entire areas repaired to a greater standard than before and the citizenry ready to show their appreciation.
They would be feted, given things, shared local food and chatted up the civilians. Some of the areas held garrisons, small groups with a medical component who lived in their ships which were useful to med-i-vac or other activities.
Town after village after town they traveled, transforming to walk down, up or around things to get to each place. It was a happy thing for the teams. For Rockwell, it was an ordeal. The destruction was awful, the activities repetitive and boring and he missed Periodic. What was happening to him was unknown. Hard Drive had told him that communications were suspended for a bit.
They trudged through a recovering swampy area following an elevated track through gigantically tall reeds and tree like structures which glowed with the soft illuminations that were part of their long trunks and stems. When they reached the village, the entire population was there to greet them.
It wouldn't be the last one for the long, long orn.
=0=Break room in Autobot City Medical Center
"Then they wanted him to be placed. HIM!"
Everyone stared at Knockout with smirks and grins. When that mech was bugged it was hilarious.
"What did you do?" a nurse asked.
"I said not on your slagging life. HE NEEDS ME! He's just … he's got things he has to learn before he goes there. How will a mech learn how to use a buffer properly if he isn't home for instruction?" Knockout said with amazement.
"You have him in daycare, right?" another mech asked.
They were sitting around the break room during their down time on shift. Doctors, techs, nurses and other hospital personnel were lounging as well.
"He goes to the Circle Day Care on M Street in Terra. Very exclusive and high end. He's just there for a few joors. Breakdown gets off shift three joors before me and I go on later so he has just that window. The school thinks they can just have him," Knockout said with incredulity.
"Well, it is required. All infants have to go to school at a certain age unless you want to home school him," another said.
Knockout stared at him, then sat back with a smirk. "Not on your life," he said to enormous laughter.
=0=Circle of Light store, Full Circle, Terra
Edict cleared the dishes away from the counter and took them to the kitchen in the store cafe where he worked. It was his own area and he ran it beautifully. He served delicacies that he personally ordered from The Energon Basket every morning and which arrived on time to serve the customers, most of whom were regulars. They would come in and chat, read the news and have a bite.
The store was huge now, ranging along the entire block's storefront space. It had their educational output for families, their weavings, crafts, writings and the cafe. There was space for sitting, chatting, working on things and reading. There was space for classes in the back ranging from crafts to their philosophy.
The place was well lighted, happy and always buzzing with someone needing things, someone who was hungry or someone who liked the company and atmosphere.
Joon wove at the big loom by the window, chatting, waving to passersby outside and often instructing those who wanted to learn. Madura helped Edict during rush hours, managed the inventory, took care of Rugur who had a box bed and play pen nearby and helped customers. They were a good team and when they could, they would go to lunch during their mid day break at a restaurant nearby.
None of them ever believed they would be happy again.
None of them ever believed they would love their life ever.
All of them did here. Burris, Hobbes and Proteus were busy and had friends outside of their circle. Their relationships with their children were infinitely better here. They were having a time, all of them, with their friendships. Lazlo and Lucien were part of their circle. They still had their night with The Squad, hitting a restaurant and chatting away when the schedules of the soldiers among them allowed.
The door opened and a couple of mechs walked in. They strolled to the cafe and sat on the stools. "Hi, Edict. What's good today?"
Edict who came from the kitchen smiled. "Good morning, Lightwave. Cavio. We have the best pastry from The Energon Basket today. They delivered it a little while ago. How about a cup of hot energon and a couple of pastries?"
"Sounds good to me," the other mech said.
Edict hustled to get it, then stood by the counter to chat with them about things here and there. They were regulars, retired and loving life.
So was he. At last.
Oh. His daughter, Bron-E and her bond, Borealis were sparked.
Life was perfect.
=0=Out there
They came upon the signal stating that they were in guarded territory, that the settlement station, Broken Hole was ahead and they would be vaporized if they came with the idea of making trouble.
"Well, that sounds like a lot of places I've been before," Drift said. "Some of them were 'Con bases."
Everyone laughed as Elita followed the beam. It was a straight shot for a couple of joors before they reached the small planet which was a wide open trading base and refueling station for a lot of different aliens and the Decepticons. Apparently, they let it exist for their down time rotations and the intel they could get from the different ships that passed through. It wasn't lawless, obviously, but it was pretty tolerant.
"The Imperialis base is not that far away. I wonder how we missed this place the first time around," Mirage said to now one in particular.
"We're going to find out. We were distracted the other time. We had to get Mom," Chromia said with a smirk.
"I'm going to tell him that you call him that," Springer said.
Elita laughed. "Snitch." She grinned. "We're passing ships going out."
They glanced at the monitor nearby which showed their course. Ships were leaving the area on a different path as some came in from other directions. This was the wild west, indeed. They would spend their remaining time checking their weapons and staring at the monitor in anticipation.
=0=Ratchet
He walked from Metrotitan and transformed on the street. Driving off, he headed for the other mega formats. He was doing his usual quarterly data check to see that they were optimal. None of the big frames were home but the genitors of the baby titans. Most of them were out at the DMZ shooting the shit with Typhoon and Dangerous. Fort Max was in his office working on blueprints at his architectural firm.
He would drive to each city, link in to their data and find that all of them were stinking healthy. He would check the two infants who were on recess from school. They were playing with their building blocks when he drove up. Delighted to see him, they would let him link in by wi-fi while their genitors waited for the verdict.
PERFECTION!
Then they would chat away with them, share gossip and news, then Ratchet would move on. He had to check on his shut ins, a couple of tiny clans who were still housebound, their travails were that fresh and then on to the hospital to see what was what.
There were also a thousand other things to do but he would stop in to see the genitors and his little appas and ammas before the orn was over. RTR was his home away from home. All of them would be well including Corr. That made all the difference in his world.
The afternoon would move onward.
=0=TBC 9-8-19