The Diego Diaries: Storm Clouds (dd7 291)

=0=Paradisio

It was late in the night as he sat at a console listening to the systems report to each other and the main frame where he was attending to the big picture. This ship was almost 16 miles long in flight configuration so there were literally trillions upon trillions of parts, interactions, command programs and other minutia, all of it working together to support the spark that animated all of it. It took a lot of 'brains' located in a straight line down the long central corridor of his configuration to make the show go.

Ratchet could hear him talking to his various divisions, the drones that populated this ship and programs that ran as executive to their functions. It was a dull metallic echo in his helm, the sound of all their voices. He always loved to listen and at the same time, didn't. It was an amazing bit of technological achievement, the sounds of mechanisms like this and it was also a very lonely one to him. He wondered at times like that what it was like having a symbiont. He also wondered if there were more than him who knew that Prime had them as well.

He rose to walk to a giant schematic board which showed with different lights and informational detail how much was go and how much still required work. It was well on its way to 50% when he unplugged and walked to the door to bridge over to Sunrise. He mused on that name and the planet orbiting a sun not so far away of nearly the same designation.

Sun Base and Homeland were doing well. So were the other planets. It was a triumph thus far, a small step forward to the rescue of Cybertron and the local group. All of the colonial and industrial worlds within the old Empire would also be rescued. Prime would command in safer space a very large and various expanse of worlds.

Good on him, he thought as he walked into the bridge room that was close by to transfer to Sunrise. He would be gone in seconds.

=0=Home

They sat around the room, the elders, half of whom had headed out earlier. Those that were left were sipping beer and chewing the fat as the humans said. Time to talk was harder to find these latest orns so it was with amusement and satisfaction that they caught up and goofed together.

"Then he got in trouble. MY SONNY WAS A MIRACLE!" Appa Ratchet said with conviction. "He always took his medicine, too. He wasn't a whiner. Much."

Docker who was sitting next to him with a cup of tea grinned at Ratchet. "He never was."

"Little mech, here, was a manipulator but we all knew it. We never let him get away with anything that wasn't small and insignificant. The big things were reinforced," Raptor said as the others nodded.

They grinned at him. He sort of grinned back.

"Slaggers. They were everywhere. I think I even saw you when I checked my debris chute." Ironhide grinned. "I'm surprised I didn't see your helms pop out with big grins on your faces."

Huge laughter greeted that.

"You always were the dramatic type. That was part of your charm," Turbine said. "I remember when you'd bump your knee or helm, you'd come in with despair and want us to fix it. You never failed to believe that anything you wanted or asked for you would get."

"You always did," Ironhide said. "By the way … do you see someone who'll remain nameless? His stealthing is stellar. I had to tell you because he's so good you won't see him otherwise."

Ironhide grinned at them. They grinned at him.

Standing in the shadows of the hallway, a tiny little yellow banded mech was staring at them with his tiny blue optics. He was pressed against the wall, hugging it tightly, though his tiny little peds were a dead giveaway. Moving slowly along the wall, inching toward the doorway as he pressed against it, he was gauging the distance between himself and the chair closest to him, one his Appa Hard Drive was sprawled in. If he could just get behind it, the plate of cookies and other things were right there within easy reach.

:I do believe I'm having deja vu: Raptor said as he grinned at the others who like him were studiously avoiding the infant. :I heard he made it to The City from Terra before he got caught. Sounds like a natural:

"He did. He's a mech with skills," Ironhide said proudly. "He can go helm-to-helm with the best of them."

Orion reached the pool of light, then paused to appraise things. Everyone was looking at each other and he didn't believe he was seen. He grinned, then almost guffawed. He froze in place.

Raptor sat up. "Did you hear anything? I thought I heard something."

"I didn't hear anything," Ravel said with a snicker. "I do believe its very quiet in the hallway and berth rooms. I imagine that the infants are sleeping in their berths like champions."

It was deeply still in the hallway.

Raptor leaned forward. "What do you think, Atar? Is it as quiet as it seems in here? I bet if someone was sneaking into this room we wouldn't see it."

Orion listened to them, the gods of his life and felt happiness wash over him. He wasn't spotted, he wasn't heard, he was beating them by his stealthing. It felt great. So he moved closer, stepping into the light, then froze. Everyone was talking to each other and didn't seem to see him. He grinned then inched along the wall until he was behind Appa Hardie in his Atar's chair. He froze in place to listen.

"I thought I heard that sound again," Ravel said with a barely concealed chuckle. "I do believe I must be hearing things. I doubt if it was someone sneaking around that I would hear it. That sneaker would be that good at it."

"I agree," Hardie said with a big grin. "I could only imagine that someone sneaking around would be so good at it that no one would notice. That was sort of what you did, Ironhide, back in the orn. When you didn't want to go to bed, you'd sneak around."

"I was slagging good at it," Ironhide said with a smug grin.

"We had you on our internal sensors from the moment we got you until you left. You never snuck up on anyone," Turbine said with a smirk. "You were so cute anyway that your cuteness always alerted on you."

"I was cute wasn't I," Ironhide said with a smug grin.

"You were," Hardie said as he sat forward to put his beer bottle on the table next to him. Then he leaned over and snatched a surprised infant off the ground. Holding him up in one hand, he grinned at Orion. "Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Orion hung in his great great grandfather's servo, then grinned his biggest cheese-eating grin. "Appa."

"Orion."

"Appa, I comed to lou."

"You did."

[Silence a moment, then a big cheese-eating grin™] "Appa, I helpeded lou."

"How?" Hardie asked as he basked in delight at the spunky little imp he held in his servo.

Orion glanced around, then noted his bottle. "I helpeded lou doin' dis," he said pointing at it.

"You'd help me drink my beer," Hardie asked.

Everyone was grinning at the bold little mini Ironhide. He was the apple of their optics.

Both of them.

Orion nodded, then smiled. "I doin'."

"If you do, then Springer will arrest me for interfering with an infant," Hardie said.

Orion considered that. "Moopie not doin'. He not doin'. He good you. I good you. You good you?" he asked with a deeply concerned expression.

Hardie took a moment to swallow the guffaw that threatened to capsize him. "I good you."

Orion smiled, then pointed to the beer bottle. "I GOOD LOU!?"

"No," Hardie said.

Orion's smile faded at once. "Lou not good me."

They took a moment to belly laugh.

=0=Saturn Shipyard

The titans began to come in, one at a time until all four were waiting nearby to take their turn at repair. The entire shipyard was given over to them and it was a beehive of activity. Ratchet stood on the command deck of Sunrise with most of the Titan leadership from Mars. Ratchet was giving them the overview.

"Paradisio is more than halfway toward sign off and Sunrise will go faster. You have wear and tear along with upgrades but Paradisio was injured. The four of you," Ratchet said to Calamity, Fury, Relentless and Sunset, "will come in two at a time. We have two giant gantries that were built to accommodate your frame because we have to turn them around to serve on Cybertron for the most part. I expect you to take longer and I'm going to have to hold off on a bunch of your armor work. We can paint you to hide the scars but when the mission is over you can have it smelted and reworked. We have two Golden Age metallurgists and my genitors to get the formulas right. So this will take a few orns yet."

"I expected it," Paradisio said. He was very formal and elegant, deep voiced and serious. One almost stood up straighter around him, such was his dignity. He was a good contrast to a lot of the others and more in line with the quality of a mech like Metroplex and Max. You sort of wanted to do better around him because the thought of him feeling disappointed in you almost seemed unbearable.

"How would you like this to work, Doctor?" Relentless asked.

"How about I send you the coordinates and you move into the gantries that will lock on to you," Ratchet said. He sent the four coordinates, then Relentless and Fury walked to the window nearby to look outside. Without speaking, two of the four giants outside began to move slowly forward. They were being operated remotely by Fury and Relentless from here. They moved, slid a little bit, then halted properly. The gantries swung slowly forward, then attached themselves to the hull of the ships at the hangar deck level. It was then that everyone could see legions of workers run from the gantry building itself, along the long walkway and into the ships to begin their work.

Calamity grinned. "This is good. It's been too long. When this mission is over, I am hopeful that I can stay here perhaps as a security ship."

"And I as well," Fury said.

"Well, you're always most welcome," Ratchet said. "One can't have too many handsome mechs around the place."

Even Paradisio grinned at that news.

=0=Up there

"That was wonderful," Prowl said.

"It was," Optimus said. They walked to the kitchen, then halted to stare at the dishes piled up. "How about tomorrow?"

"I won't argue," Prowl said. He followed Prime to check on the children, then headed into their berth room. After a moment of this and that, they walked to the berth, then reclined. Lights were called down and it was quiet a moment. Prowl glanced at Optimus. "Corsair … was he always this timid?"

"No. He was tough and good. Very loving," Optimus replied. "He has had a very traumatic time."

"Jetta looks better. I suppose the game is still on?" Prowl asked.

Prime nodded. "We have to practice a little bit. Nova Cronum is going to be tough."

"Pencil it in," Prowl replied.

He grinned slightly. "I will try."

=0=TBC 5-29-2020

I took my dog to PetSmart to have his toe nails clipped and now I have kennel cough. A good home remedy is honey. Poor little chihuahua. He should be up to speed in a couple of days. Take care out there.