The Diego Diaries: Planning (dd7 312) (not edited yet. can't keep awake.) :D
Edited it. Wow. :*}
=0=In a conference room
"Don't you look delicious."
Niall Graham peered over the top rounded edge of a big donut that Prowl had dropped upon him when he'd let slip that he felt that Prowl was a mark, too. That big mech was sitting back in his chair feeling no pain. His smirk was amusing. :Prowl … are you going to lift this off or do I have to shoot my way out?:
"That would be the waste of a good donut," Ratchet said as he picked it up freeing Graham from a gooey confinement. He ate the donut, then sat back. "I do believe there's a certain essence to that one that's missing from the others. What does urine taste like?"
Huge laughter greeted that as Graham walked back to his seat. :That donut won't eat through this suit will it?: he asked Wheeljack.
Wheeljack shrugged. "Probably not. Maybe."
Amusement greeted that remark as Prime leaned closer to the table. "That was a glazed donut, glazed with chocolate. I love those donuts."
Prowl smirked at Ratchet. "You savage. You stole his donut."
"You sullied it with essence of human," Ratchet replied.
"That sounds soggy and disgusting," Springer said. "Are there any left?"
Prowl frowned at Springer as the others laughed. "We're here for a very important reason."
"A top secret one," Ratchet added.
"Top secret above secret. I love that kind. Where is my super duper decoder ring?" Devcon asked.
Snickers rounded the room before Granny cut them off. "Fortunately for all of you present, we have mechs of character who will now lead the rest of the meeting regarding the plans."
"Yes," Rainmaker said as he glanced at the row of smirking visored mechs sitting along the wall together. "Mechs of character. Or is it just characters?"
"We've been known to jest now and again," Hammer of Primus said. He was sitting next to Tennyson, his pre-bond. They were about 36 feet tall in pretender gear due to the size of their spark and were as cute a pair as Wheeljack and Perceptor. Dignified, almost grim in the pursuit of his responsibilities to the Prime and their people, Hammer of Primus wasn't especially noted for his sense of humor.
Tennyson on the other servo …
"Why don't you lead the discussion?" Typhoon asked the big mech sitting two down from him.
"If you wish," Hammer said. "Of course, I wouldn't want to disrupt the seminar on donuts ..."
Ratchet snickered. "We need to get drunk together, all of you and me."
"OLD MECH! YOU DON'T GET PLASTERED WITHOUT ME!" Ironhide glanced at the row of big mechs grinning at Ratchet with 'yes' in their optics. "Old mech gets arrested for slag when he's left to his own devices."
"Is that so? Who was the slagger who rolled into the metro train in a dead stupor and took the circular route back to town? You were so slag faced that you didn't even wake up. You were found behind the garbage cans somewhere if I remember that correctly," Ratchet replied, then he halted to think about it. "Or was that me?"
HUGE laughter greeted that as a number of massive mechs made a note in their day planners to get slag faced with their doctor.
RAP! RAP! RAP!
Everyone turned in their seats toward Prowl who willed himself not to show any willies at the idea of being front and center again, the backroom deal making Machiavellian puppet master wannabe that he was. "Meeting?" he managed.
"Oh, that," Hammer said to the near applause of the room. He grinned, then turned on a screen. "We planned a number of rotations that should put them on their toes. What we plan to do is spread this out over a three orn period culminating with Polity."
"I'd almost forgotten him," Raptor said as some of those present nodded in agreement. "Of course, a well placed torpedo up his aft would take care of all of it."
"That is not off the table," Prime said. "I want to do this in stages. We need to have updated information about installations, soldiers, ships, alliances … all of it."
"We will do that, Prime," Hammer said as he lowered his helm in respect. He was religious, a mad scientist for the advancement of his frame and old fashioned in his manners. In short, he was a perfect match for Tennyson who was a heathen about most things.
They discussed the program of play, divided up players, then sat back to shoot the shit and troubleshoot anything on the processor. The humans who were listening and planning to go with them sat back, too, ready to hear the humor of the bots which had been distilled out of them by modern human media, including Michael Bay. You wouldn't know that Prime was a sportsman, a sport and liked jokes and humor. None of the humans would know how amusing titans were or that Raptor was a cross between Sun and Ratchet.
They were to the humans present who knew them the best, hilariously funny.
"Tell me about Smokey the Younger, Raptor. I heard he and his former fellow child are doing hard time in the old town," Ratchet said as he winked at Devcon and Smokescreen the Elder who commanded Diego Garcia and was here for the meeting.
"Do tell," Smokescreen said with a big grin. His grandson was hilarious.
"Well, given my track record thus far with helping slaggers get back on their peds, I was given the signal honor of beating maturity a bit into Hot Rod of Nyon and Smokescreen the Younger of Praxus. I'm planning to run them ragged and slag them hard. Just so you know," Raptor said to Dev and Smokescreen.
Both nodded.
"Show him the error of his ways," Smokescreen said.
"Do," Prowl said with a deeply dark inflection to his tone. Granny hated to lose. Or tie.
"Is there anything else to add to the good of the order?" Prime asked almost wistfully.
"Sure. How is it that you and Tenn got this far without my gifted servos guiding your dingies?" Ratchet asked.
An internet search cleared that up, presenting a number of little boat options and after a moment of laughter and pointed comments, the two sat back to gaze their optics on Ratchet.
"We fear you," Tennyson said.
All of them did.
The meeting broke up almost immediately.
=0=Walking out
Huge mechs walked out to go to the below decks operational back up center to finalize the time schedule for Prime. Everyone else piddled out including Springer and Drift who were heading for the barn. They wouldn't be needed on this mission until they took on Polity. They were gone right away.
"Off to the races are ya?" Ratchet asked Raptor and Turbine.
"I have to go to work. Raptor has to run the kids ragged. I'll link Kaon Command into mine and let you know what you need to, Raptor," Turbine said.
"You're a good old mech. I think I'll keep ya," Raptor said with a blazing smile.
"I'm taking the cow."
"Frag," Raptor said as he handed over Pudding.
"See ya, slaggers," Turbine said as he walked back inside to bridge to his command post at Nova Cronum.
"I have to retrieve my new pack mules. See ya later," Raptor said as he walked toward the junction and a trip to the back area of the Temple.
"I'm coming," Ironhide said as he hustled off.
Everyone chatted, those who had a function left until Ratchet was standing on the corner by himself. He grinned. "Gotta motor," he said to no one in particular. He hustled off on an errand of mercy.
=0=Sparkling Day School #1, Terra, Mars
He walked into the school, checked with the front desk, then headed upward for the one he wanted. It would be a short trip but when he arrived the hallways were cleared. Children had just gone outside to play. He walked onward heading for a signal that he was following.
Entering a room, he peered around. Finding the one he wanted, he walked over and pulled a chair. "Hi," he said.
"Hi, Ratchet," the other replied."Have a seat."
Ratchet sat, then gathered his thoughts. "Orion said something that led me to believe that there are those among the children who are mocking his ability talk. Have you seen or heard of this?"
It was intensely quiet for a moment.
TBC 6-26-2020 edited 6-27-2020