The Diego Diaries: Rolling (dd7 227)
(Note at the bottom) :D
=0=The next morning after the hubbub
Ratchet stared at his scanner with amusement. "Well, I won't have a job if She ever decides to take up a practice."
"She came and I saw Her. It amazes me every time it happens," Prowl said as his genitors stared at him with awe.
Ratchet grinned at Prime who grinned slightly back. Miler, Venture and Prowl were of a certain rarefied practice of their Temple religion that was common among some Praxians and anything connected to the Pantheon including Prime was considered holy by that group. "Well, maybe She's telling you something, Prowler. Maybe you need to get out a calculator and a square and figure it out."
Prowl smirked. "Maybe. Loser."
Miler was scandalized for about two seconds before grinning at Venture. "Well, if everything is okay here we will go on ahead. What about the game in Nova Cronum? Is that pushed back?"
Prime nodded. "The league is moving it back a few orns. When we pass inspection then we will go there for the game. Because it was a mission, they have decided to do this."
"Good thing," Ratchet said. "I don't pass you as fit, though you can go to IntraCom and make your speech and do light duty here. I want those struts to hold. This isn't a fox hole where you have to get up and go. Its a miracle that things held together the number of times that happened. Now we have time and I'm going to invoke the prohibitions if you disagree with me."
The four of them stared at Ratchet, then each other.
Prowl smirked at Ratchet. "Someone has a bug up your debris chute."
"Prowl."
Prowl glanced at his ada who looked scandalized almost in spite of himself. Then he grinned at Prime. "I did the best I could, Optimus."
Optimus snickered. "Thank you, Miler."
With a frown from Prowl and a "aren't you due somewhere?" for the genitors, Venture and Miler left to go to work.
"Oh, Prowl," Venture said pausing by the door. "I have a Temple Board meeting on Saturday. We want date night with the girls and Possibility but we might be a tad late."
"Okay," Prowl said as they walked out the door. He looked at Ratchet. "The bottom line?"
"Well, I've been working out," Ratchet said as he bent over and twerked at both of them.
A hard slap on the aft from Prowl and a howling laugh from Prime greeted that.
He stood up and rubbed his bum. "Thanks, Granny. Child abuse." He glanced at Prime. "I have replacement parts for his humor mechanism. It appears to be broken."
Prime grinned at both. "Do not drag me into this."
Ratchet smirked. "Wuss." He glanced at Prowl. "I think a couple of more orns here and he can go on light duty. No more shootouts. If he goes to the office or IntraCom do it by cab. A good jostle could hurt."
Prowl nodded. "Where are you going?"
"Rounds of home bounds. I have a bunch of kids and elders that make my orn," Ratchet said. "How about dumping the ball and chain and meet for lunch at the Diner? The Squad will be there, those that can."
"Done deal. I'll make sure that the PRIME OF CYBERTRON, THE DARLING OF THIS AND EVERY PANTHEON THAT EXISTS has a good lunch here. Okay?" he asked as he glanced at Prime.
"What did you say?" Prime said as he rubbed his audials.
"Thanks, Prowl. Nothing like three more joors of handwork thanks to your foghorn but somehow still dainty voice," Ratchet said as he got a punch in the gut from Prowl, such was his relief at Prime's progress.
Ratchet straightened, rubbing his chassis as he smirked at Prime. "Better you than me with Miss Priss, here. I'll see ya at the Diner if I don't see ya first." He flashed them his biggest, brightest and best smile, then sauntered to the door and out.
They watched him go, then glanced at each other. "Do you really feel better?" Prowl asked.
"I do. I can even hear again. There is no pain in my audials now," Prime said as he stood up stiffly. "I need to make a broadcast."
"I'll call a cab," Prowl said as he walked to the console behind the cabinet that was an enhanced comm station for the Residence and their positions as kings of all they surveyed. He called one, then turned to Prime. "Let's go down and wait. I'll help you get there and back. I don't know about the office today."
"I have work stacking up," he said as he walked toward the door with a slight limp. He was also favoring his arm where a strut had broken upon impact with the boxes that were stacked where he fell hard 600 feet away from where he had stood before. Given all that was going on, he was lucky to be alive and he knew it. He allowed Prowl to fuss him through the door, down the elevator and into the cab. They drove off for IntraCom together.
=0=Walking out of their offices
Jazz who was working on intel and the afternoon show at the same time greeted Blaster as he left a sound stage where he was setting up an episode of 'Intermediate School All-Stars!', a show where kids from the different Intermediate schools came together as teams to compete in a kind of educational contest that was filmed and broadcast on a once a decaorn basis. They would compete for a championship cup which would go to their school and stay there until the next season when new teams from the same places would come back to duke it out again. It was hard fought by smart kids who worked as a team to answer or demonstrate answers.
It was also one of the most watched television shows on their network because there were a lot of nanas and papas who wanted to see their infants excel. There were even plans for a simpler version for Youngling Day kids. There were 12 Intermediate or high schools now in the colony and 33 Youngling or elementary schools. Sparkling schools numbered over 78 not counting all of the infant schools such as Circle Prep which now numbered 23. The numbers of children among the vast diverse population of Autobot City, the Primal Colony of Mars grew every time a group of refugees made it here or was rescued. There were 2,200 new kids of all ages in the Homeland and Sun Base groups alone. The religious schools also fielded kids and participated in these activities as well including the Infant School at the Monastery of the Clavis Aurea.
The construction of cities, the diversity of offerings in the colony for advancement and the well being of the citizens was always being enlarged through the efforts of the unions and guilds, so much so that the economy which was sky high in their cashless society blazed like the sun. The soundness of their plan was not lost on Earth either. A consortium group of futurists, economists and others who planned the future now had arrived at Unidad the night before to learn the colonial process. It was the next big 'thing' on the calendar.
That would be Ratchet's problem.
He didn't know yet.
Thank you, Prowler.
Prime and Prowl arrived at IntraCom, then walked slowly from the cab to the door, Entering, he was swamped with well wishers, waved and shouted to by a human group touring from the Resort and eventually made his way to the studio where his set was already waiting for him.
"Do you need to prep or do you have your speech ready, Prime? We can cut in on the programming whenever you're ready," Jazz said as Blaster took over the camera to film while Jazz directed.
Apparently, they had dibs on the Prime.
Optimus sat gingerly, then glanced at them. "I am ready when you are, Jazz."
Jazz walked to the control booth, leaned in to get the ball rolling, then walked back out to sit in a chair in front of Prime just off camera.
Prowl stood next to Jazz watching Optimus like a hawk.
"Okay, Optimus," Jazz said. "We're go in five … four … three … two and one. You're live now."
The screens all over the colony changed to the Emblem of the Primes. At a reception in the Grand Concourse of Unidad Terra 1, the big screens that were showing the rotating images of the colony that were the screensaver for the Community Bulletin Board changed to the Emblem of the Primes.
Carly who saw it stood, then tapped her glass until the 200 guests and about 700 locals turned to her. "We have a message from Optimus Prime on the monitors. Please turn your attention to the screen which shows the Emblem of the Primes."
Everyone did.
It was silent as the image changed and the face of Optimus Prime appeared on the screen. Everyone stared at him silently, noting the humanoid features that together indicated a handsome face of a male entity. It was easy to see the pieces individually but they came together in a very dignified and easily relatable manner to form a face that was easy to admire. Piercing blue 'eyes' stared out at them, eyes that were composites of many things, yet were eyes nevertheless. His towering antenna finials were a perfect balance to his face and head, the blue color strikingly handsome as well. Then he began to speak in his educated, cultured, wise and rich voice.
"Good afternoon," he said. "I am Optimus Prime ..."
=0=In an apartment in Crater District 4, City 1
A little old duffer sat in a chair with his bum ped on a pillow. His old femme sat next to him holding a plate of cookies which she 'baked myself like they showed in those videos from the University Annex, Ratchet, just like you showed me'. Their three big grandsons who came to see how Appa was so they could report back to their genitors who were working in essential industries sat in chairs near the screen which was muted.
Ratchet had laughed, then told them of the time he watched one of those videos to make a turducken. It was always a great laugh getter.
"Look at that, Dovey," the old duffer, Purser said to his femme as the screen changed to Optimus. "THERE HE IS!"
The group turned to the monitor, then one of the sons turned up the sound. "Good morning. I am Optimus Prime."
That's when the old duffer, a hardworking little mech who cared for his family with nothing but aches and pains broke into tears. Sitting nearby in a little picture frame on the kitchen counter in pride of place was a faded image of Optimus just after he was created Prime. Purser had carried it with him through hell and back, drawing inspiration in the determined dignity and unflagging love of that mech for his people. Now he was here in the colony that Prime had made and his whole family was not only safe, but they were living the life he always dreamed for them.
Optimus Prime made it possible. Optimus Prime was his god.
=0=TBC 3-10-2020 4-6-2020
NOTE:
Ugh.
I live 300 miles south of the Arctic Circle and we've been in winter where the day where I live is about six hours long at most right now. It starts about 10 am in the morning and lasts until just before 4 pm. I always have the start of dark to tell me when to sit down and write. In the summer where the sun is 24 hours long, I set a timer. I didn't now when the daylight savings gave us an extra hour of light. I didn't think about it yet.
When the dark last night came it was waaaaay later than I could manage so I decided to post today and make it up. My goal is a piece every single day. Its a great personal discipline for me to meet a deadline like that and good for the flow of the story for readers.
Nothing like the tilt of the Earth being against you. Living in a zone like this, it has its own problems. Two nights ago I took my dogs to potty on the front porch, the snow is so high everywhere else and when I looked over my shoulder I stared into the face of a baby moose. (Stop me if I told you this already. :D:D It's such a great story. FYI, a yearling baby moose is about the size of a small horse and JUST AS CUTE! I call him Mouse.)
We freaked out, he struck me in the arm with a hoof, then ran off. I ran inside. The hoof left a slight ache but nothing more. If his mama was with him (she dumped him because she's getting ready to drop another calf so they dump the yearling they have about this time of year) I'd be dead as a door knob. When it comes to animal encounters of this sort, moose kill more people in Alaska than any other animal.
:D
:D
:D
Such is life in the northern tier. ;D
I'm setting my reminder on the phone as we speak. ;)