The Diego Diaries: Cloudy (dd7 364)
=0=There
"Where now?"
"A private school," Ratchet said with a giant smile. "That never gets old."
"What does?" Ironhide asked as he admired Ratchet's smile.
"School, first of all. School never gets old for slaggers like me. That its a private school is double," Ratchet said. He considered the needle he inserted into Ironhide from time to time to watch him crawl and decided to test the familiar stranger next to him on the train to Autobot City. "I never got to go to school."
Ironhide who knew next to zip about this mech glanced at him, then spotted the tattoo denoting Ratchet's caste rank. He considered what to say, then decided silence was the better part of discretion given his own.
Ratchet grinned. "Stunned you to silence did I? I can see it, you being high tone and all."
Ironhide frowned as his entire family's admonitions about being a 'high tone' which was a slur by the low castes against the high flooded his processor. "I was never raised to be that kind of mech."
"Your ada would slap your aft off your body and he'd be only the first one in line to do it. You have a great family," Ratchet said. "They didn't figure you bonded down with me."
Ironhide glanced at Ratchet, flummoxed about how to reply to the sassy dude next to him. "My family never believed in The System."
"I know. Did you know we had to apply to the government for a waiver so that you could bond with me and that all our kids would be mid caste because of it even if you were an Elite?"
Ironhide frowned again. "I hate things like that."
Ratchet grinned, then squeezed Ironhide's big servo. "I know," he said with a chuckle. Then he rose as the train slid into the station. "Come with me, slagger. Our stop." He walked to the door, then out as he headed for the escalator.
Ironhide hurried along behind him. He did so with a grin on his face.
=0=Nearby
She stood on a stool staring into the smelter as her grandfather worked on a mixture of metals that no one else living but her other grandfather and her ada knew how to formulate. She smiled at him and her Amma Ravel who was mixing a blend of dark metal filings together as he whispered the proper prayers into the blend.
Given that they were devotees of Solus Prime, another Maker, they were unaware that She was devotees of them, too. They loved her and honored Her with every creation, thus drawing Her attention from the Other Side. With every prayer they prayed into their work, that much extra Solus gave back in kind and delight. It was a system of mutual love and respect.
Halo glanced at her Amma, then pointed a fat tiny digit at the fire in the furnace. "AMMA! DOING!?"
Ravel glanced up, then smiled at the baby. "Appa is very good. Appa is doing, my baby."
Halo laughed a tiny laugh, then leaned slightly forward to watch as Appa stirred the mixture which was becoming transparent as he did. It turned from a sickly yellow to a clear color almost immediately. "APPA! YOU DOING! YOU MY SHE!"
Tie Down laughed as he glanced down at his granddaughter. "I'm so glad, Halo. You're my she, too."
Meanwhile …
They entered the Business Plaza, then took the elevator up to the third floor which was now the exclusive domain of the Circle of Light Preparatory Academy where Prowler and most of Prime's imps attended. It had moved part of its operation from Terra, dividing the older children like Prowler from the babies and beginners who stayed behind.
Walking to the reception area, they checked in, then walked toward the door that led into the facility. It took a while to find where Prowler was but they did, then took a seat on the bench by the door. Prowler was there and he was going through a task with his little group which included Solus and Sojourner Prime.
:That little mech is Prowler and he was the smallest until he had to go to school. Then you had a fit and we have a new daughter, Halo: Ratchet said as he grinned at the baby who was helping make something with the group.
:He looks like Prowl: Ironhide said as he grinned at the baby who was trying to build while holding a teddy bear at the same time.
:Bingo. All I need for a complete set is a Prime infant: Ratchet said as Ironhide chuckled.
They would watch Prowler for a time before he saw them, then ran over for a hug.
He would get them.
=0=Up there that evening
They stood together on the balcony, Orion Pax, his genitors and Prowl listening as Prowl described the birth and growth of the spectacular urban center that surrounded their tower. Orion listened without much comment, checking a clarification now and again. They walked slowly around the terrace that ran the entire circumference of the massive apartment, a view that allowed every inch of the colony to be seen from this height.
Kestrel held Orion's servo as they listened to Prowl explain all of it. His spark was fluttering from the effort that his son had commanded from The People as he learned things that he didn't know. No, he thought. That wasn't it. Orion had coaxed it from them, the homeless, injured, damaged civilians and soldiers who were at last in the arms of safety. It was a colossal creation borne of love and solidarity among all of them and all their various factions and points of view. Only his son could have made it happen from so many different groups and life experiences.
"That's the first satellite city center. Its Terra and the lights starting from there," Prowl said pointing to the most distant, "are the cities of Pax, Praxus and Crystal City. They were the first to house our people besides Metroplex and the Central Labor Hall which is underground and was our industrial base. We built below ground for security until the Pantheon told you that it was safe to go above. This tower and the one next door, the Medical Center were the first finished towers in the colony."
"This is amazing," Orion said.
"It is, Prowl," Tagg said. "This is a testament to all of our people."
"It is," Prowl agreed. "It just keeps growing. We only had to tent city refugees once."
"How so?" Orion asked.
"We sometimes get migrations in the 1-3 million range. We build constantly now to ensure that everyone has a home to come to," Prowl said. "That was the only time we failed and you changed the plan to make sure it was the last one."
Orion stared out at the night, then turned to Prowl. "I am sad to know it came to this."
"You did everything possible to prevent it, Orion," Prowl said firmly. "This is on Megatron and the government. You were hunted and beaten, arrested and shot at during the revolution. You put your spark on the line to prevent this and the Matrix chose you to assist you with a peaceful solution but it wasn't possible. The corruption was too wide spread and deep. This just became inevitable."
"The war on Cybertron … how badly did it go?" Orion asked as he internally steeled himself for the answer.
Prowl considered that, then opted for the truth because Prowl was Prowl. "It was a near extinction event."
Orion looked sucker punched, then gazed out at the colony. "They still find purpose in me?"
Prowl felt himself flash with emotion. "Optimus … you were the only thing between total annihilation and the possibility of our species surviving. Put the blame where it lies. If you hadn't been our leader then I shudder to consider how awful it would've been. It would've meant the end of our species."
Orion stared at him, then glanced at his genitors who nodded silently. "I ..." He looked out again at the beautiful lights of the colony. "I wish to be useful in the time it takes to solve this problem. I do not wish to hide away. Let me be useful."
Prowl glanced at Tagg and Kes, then Orion. "I don't know how that will go. You're close but there's differences."
"Subtle ones," Tagg said as he considered his son. "Orion, you would have to be very careful and use your regnal name. They expect you to be their leader in the fashion of our people."
Prowl nodded. "Our people hold to the monarchy. They would give you the courtesies and you would have to hold to them."
"I will take guidance from you, Prowl, then. I wish to be of service," the big kid said.
"You read as young, Optimus," Prowl said. "I don't know how to disguise that."
"I will attempt to be … older," Orion said with a slight grin. He stared at Prowl. "I can only assume that you will be my guide through this. I would not be happy to stay hidden. We do not know how long it will be before a solution and I wish to be of service."
Prowl shook his helm. "You're the glue that holds us together. There would be no 'us' without you. You're our pearl of great price. You're the only one of us that's not expendable."
"I would never argue with that," Kestrel said as he squeezed his son's servo.
Orion squeezed it back. "I do not know what I could do but I would offer myself into service just the same."
Prowl stared at him, the mech he'd waited all his life for, then nodded. "We accept."
They spent a joor continuing to look at the colony as Prowl filled 'Optimus' in on his domain here on this, just one of his empire's colony worlds.
=0=Later that night
It had been a wild aft evening with the kids home with the old folks. A stop over at the Intermediate School had been an optic opening experience as Ironhide took in his nine, count them, nine gigantic sons. The ride back to town had been a lively conversation off line between himself and Ratchet.
Ironhide considered the big mech beside him. He was amazingly beautiful, fun, hard helmed, unafraid and good company. It was almost overwhelming to see the extent of the life they'd built together but it had to be true. Everyone recognized him even if they were all strangers to him. The kids were great. The enigma sitting next to him was very easy on the optics and good company. He didn't seem a bit afraid of what was happening even as it churned his own tanks.
It was good that his own family was here even though they read a lot older.
Dinner had been crowded. Family had come, adult kids and everyone else it seemed, bringing food and beer. He'd met his great, great uncles, Sun and Jack as well as getting to hold his grandchildren.
Grandchildren.
Appa.
He was an Appa … what the frag?!
Now everyone was gone and they were sitting in the living room watching a monster truck rally with the sound down. The kids were in bed, the cow and cat were curled up by the window and the food he was eating, chocolate covered popcorn was one for the ages.
He glanced at Ratchet. "Is it always this way?"
"Nope," Ratchet said. "Most of the time its worse. We have a lot of bachelors that like to hang out. By the way, one of them is Old Hercy."
Ironhide glanced at him. "Hercy is here?"
"Almost anyone who is anyone is here," Ratchet said. "Keep up, Ironhide."
Ironhide smirked at him. "Okay, slagger."
It was on.
=0=TBC 8-27-2020 edited
NOTE: I read somewhere that the Primes are a monarchy of sorts and that the name they take is their regnal name. I will try and locate that citation and post it when I do.
:D:D:D