The Diego Diaries: Zoom (dd7 303)
=0=At the corridor leading to their tunnel in the Iacon Municipal Stadium, Cybertron
The big frames walked together to the door with nine children following. Forty of them had come to the game with them and Ironhide's family to be in attendance and to participate in the opening ceremony of the first interplanetary game held on Cybertron of the new era. All of them would walk out and take their place, children included, acknowledging the new unity and representing one of the most beloved parts of what it meant to be Cybertronian, the mega titans of their people.
Typhoon and Metroplex stopped at the tunnel entrance onto the field. The sound of the crowd, the electricity of the moment was overwhelming. Across the way, they could see Alor and the musicians. In other tunnels, they could see the two teams standing side-by-side. There were also priests, Immortals and other groups waiting to come out to the field and show solidarity and honor to The People.
Springer and Drift had settled the kids at five different tunnels, ten in each with guards both from here and Mars. He watched across the field as Ratchet led everyone to their seats after they all arrived here. He felt tense about Drift but would talk about it later. For now, things were starting to ramp up and they had a job to do. Ratchet, the humans and their party reached the box and settled in, he was relieved to see. Now, in a moment or two, they would begin the opening ceremony and then the game.
=0=Chatting on the MCA and The National Broadcasting Network of Cybertron and the Empire of the Primes
"They're going to do a short ceremony to honor the moment and to show something of the quality of our people to those here. There's going to be different groups represented and then the game will begin," Jazz said as Blaster rapped his arm. He glanced at the big mech.
"The show's going to start," Blaster said.
Jazz glanced at the camera. "See ya at half time," he said with a smile, then the camera cut off from Earth and focused on the three of them, Jazz, Blaster and Revet in the box that was placed high in the stadium at midfield where they would do the game play as usual. "Well, Cybertron, Mars, the Empire and all you pirates out there. We're about to begin. Fasten your seat belts. This is going to be something."
=0=On the field
A sports director who was managing the pregame show signaled to the tunnel where Alor and the family waited. The mechs who carried the keyboard picked it up and walked out toward the center of the midfield. The crowd roared as they walked onward, putting it down, then walked back with grins.
Alor glanced at his family, then grinned. "Shall we go?" he asked.
"Lead on, infant," Scout said as the band fell into formation.
Trooper led them out as senior officer and were followed by smart lines of the soldier-musicians with Scout bringing up the rear with the flag of the Band of the Old Army of Cybertron which had begun after the War of the Quintessan Oppression.
The Elite Household Guards looking very smart carried regimental flags, following them to the center and fell into attention with their flags around the medallion in the center of the field that proclaimed the stadium's name and location. Huge roars of approval greeted them, then Alor sat and glanced at the family. It would startle the humans how fast the stadium became silent.
Scout glanced at Trooper, then he waited for Alor to begin. Playing the keyboard, the music of The People filled the sound systems. The Anthem of Cybertron began and hundreds of thousands of voices in the arena and billions of others on numerous worlds began to sing to it. It was like the sound of birds, the voices together. Alor played, the band played, flags and banners snapped in the slight breeze and everyone looked amazing.
When the last cord ended, Alor waited a moment, then began to play the Anthem of the Primes. Its cords filled the air, then Optimus Prime stepped out. He seemed a god to those looking as he walked forward. He reached nearly halfway to the group, then stopped. The crowd which had watched him silently rose up and began to sing the anthem, too. It was raw and wild, a roar of an aching spark to see him again like this that had no end or beginning.
He was here. He had engineered this. He had fought for and made it happen. Optimus Prime had made their elevated, hopeful and secured existence possible, so close were they to extinction as a species. He had fought for them countless eons and had come back for them when it wasn't clear that it would end well. He had brought them life and they gave it back to him, their hero and god figure.
Optimus stood before his people waiting as they took in what they needed from his presence. It felt to him like mountains were falling from his shoulders and in his spark, loss, deprivation, agonies of death and destruction were fading from his soul as he looked at The People in celebration at last.
Cybertron, their beloved world, the body of their Warrior God who'd given EVERYTHING to them was free at last and The People were finding their center again. He was standing here after literally incomprehensible amounts of time, after incomprehensible trials and suffering, he was here on his home world once again. It was impossible to think beyond this moment. He would savor their happiness, safety and unity for the rest of his life.
The last chords fell, then it was silent a moment. When it was, movement drew the optic toward the tunnels. A huge mech stepped out with another followed by others. They carried fabled flags, some of them, and they walked with purpose toward the line that split the medallion in the midfield in half. They walked along it, a parade of the most gigantic figures, Supremes, metrotitans and dreadnoughts in Pretender gear until they were all lined up facing Prime.
Nine kids stepped forward from the line and drew glistening swords. They held them up, then began a kata, a dance of power and grace. They whirled through it, shouting together, then they halted. Turning toward Prime, they raised their swords in salute, then sank to a knee. When they did, the adults did as well as all of them bowed their helms in salute and tribute.
The stadium burst into tumultuous applause and singing.
They stood again, all of them, then the kids bowed lowly before walking back to their place on the line. As they did another group walked out heading out to make three long lines on the other side of Prime. They came out in a stream carrying fabled battle standards, flags and images of those who were no longer among them. Leading them out was Hard Drive with the famous icon of Guardian Prime and The Empress of Stanix who carried an image of her genitors.
It was a startled silence that greeted them as they poured out heading for their spot on the other side of Prime's position. They lined up and when the last came to their place, they took a knee for Prime.
The stadium burst into flames.
=0=Nearby
:That group are the Immortals, Daddy. They asked 1,200 of them to come and do this for the game. Uncle Hardie and The Empress are Immortals. Uncle Hardie, Uncle Sun, Uncle Jack, Uncle Delphi, Uncle Hercy, Uncle Steiner and Amma Lissie are Immortals, too: Annie Lennox said to her dad even as everyone else listened in. :All of them were heroes for our people in The Beginning. They defeated the Quintessans, then they defeated the Functionalists and now they stand by Uncle Optimus and The People. Isn't that great?: she asked with a big smile.
Everyone who was listening nodded including Will. He hugged his daughter. :This is a good day:
:It is. This is celebrating our freedom from slavery: Annie said as she turned back to the field to watch.
:Will?:
Lennox glanced at a smirking Ron Witwicky.
:Do you think she remembers she's from Earth?: Ron asked with a snicker.
Will grinned. :Maybe. Sometimes:
Ron snickered. :Just checking:
Movement at another door drew everyone's attention. A group was filing out from a tunnel to heard for the medallion proclaiming Iacon's stadium in the middle of the field. Four hundred priests, half from Mars and half from Cybertron followed Chrome as he led them.
The entire stadium stood and roared their approval.
They walked purposefully with their images in arms to the circle and surrounded it. As they did, Optimus walked forward to stand in the middle of it. It was then that the crowd hushed.
Chrome was linked in and so were the others. They began a series of chanting prayers that echoed through the stadium, one for the moment of celebration, one for unity and the other for peace. It was amazing, the sound, as everyone in the stadium joined them. What was even more amazing to the humans listening was that the children in their carrier joined in as well.
In Cybertronian.
=0=At the airfield
"Time to go," Rainmaker said to the Seeker councilors and everyone else.
At that, the group for the flyover began to get ready. Never before had such an event transpired that was led by the Great Elder and the Council of Seeker Clan Chieftains. It would be airborne in moments.
At the stadium the prayers at last died down. Alor played a soft beautiful melody, then rose to stand. In the distance, the roar of mighty engines could be heard. In seconds, huge ships flew over, then smaller ones, then speedy vessels like fighter shuttles. They flashed over and were gone. It was silent and expectant, then a roar came up.
:DADDY! HERE COME THE SEEKERS!: Annie cried out as overhead flights of Seekers trailing colored smoke streaked over.
It was earsplitting, the sound, and the colors of smoke were the colors of Cybertron. They shrieked overhead, then disappeared immediately. Then the elders came. They flew in barrel rolling and weaving in and out of each other before pulling straight upward to head for space. They braided in and out of each other until they disappeared from view. Behind them lit like a bonfire, Warlord streaked in. Upward he flew, then disappeared as well, trailing flames.
They roared back down again almost immediately, flying low over all of them. Up and down they went, then they flew upward to stall as a group. All of them did, Starscream, the Council Chieftains, Rainmaker and the others fell back to the ground but before they hit, they transformed and landed with the usual Seeker bravado.
The crowed screamed its approval.
Rising to stand, the Elders walked toward Prime, their swagger as intimidating as anything a human had ever seen. They stopped short of him and began a very intricate Kata, ancient and never before seen by a general audience prior to this moment that was echoed by every Seeker in the crowd. They spun and danced, their body movements scary to the humans watching, then they halted. It was then the Warlord streaked over trailing fire. He flew straight up, seemed to stall, then fell downward to transform and land.
Warlord rose slowly, the fire covering his body roaring its intensity. He walked toward Prime with a fiery sword, then stopped just before him. It was then that he knelt to the ground and bowed his helm. It was also then that every Seeker, Chieftain, Great Elder or otherwise in the group did so as well.
For a moment there was nothing but silent astonishment. Seekers bowed to no one but all of the greatest of Seekerkin just did. The place went mad with ovation.
It was then that all of those gathered, priest, Immortal, warrior, civilian, titan and soldier on the field bent down to kneel before Prime, bowing their helms in respect.
It was the greatest single ovation to a Prime ever granted to one in the eyes of the world, in the history of the Cybertronian People.
Every optic watching wherever they were, friend or foe understood that clearly.
The stadium went wild. Billions on worlds all over went wild with them.
=0=TBC 6-15-2020