The Diego Diaries: Cloudy (dd7 377)
=0=Aerie Hill
Ironhide and Orion walked down the street together. All around them were mostly Seekers of all ages and a few grounders. The city itself was breathtakingly beautiful with elegant housing and streets that wound through the city and upward into the housing subdivisions that were built on terraced hillsides all the way up to the top of the huge ridges that formed the district.
Businesses, governmental and commercial peppered what was the main plaza and commercial downtown of Aerie Hill. There were department buildings with lots of businesses on dozens of floors inside and storefronts at ground level that offered everything with intriguing window displays just like Autobot City. Elegant light posts held lamps of a style that was ancient on Cybertron and the banners of various events, clans, the planet and empire as well as the Primes could be seen. It was busy and happy, filled with individuals who nodded and smiled to both as they made their way forward to wherever they were going.
Signposts were written in NeoCybex and Simkeen, then main conversational language of Seekerkin. There were kiosks for calls and information at intervals on the wide smooth sidewalks that lined the main four lane highways that cut the city in half leading onward to the burgeoning expanding vastness that was Aerie Hill. Roads led to other parts of the city, one with very tall buildings that sported spires and beautiful stone facings, all of it part of the grand scheme that Starscream had dreamed of and finally realized.
Pausing in the second plaza some distance from the first at the train station, they took in the sights around them. It was then that Ratchet and Prowl caught up with both. Orion and Ironhide glanced at the two who were hustling toward where they stood.
"How's the sightseeing going?" Ratchet asked.
"Very well," Orion said. "This is a very beautiful city."
"Starscream and Rainmaker have made it into a treasure box. Starscream has wanted his people to do what they could do from orn one. This is the outcome," Prowl said.
The sun was bright but the air was cold. No one cared. It could be tropical for them given their ability to modulate their internals. Seekers walked together to enter or leave buildings and stores. Some sat on the benches that were here and there for their convenience. It was relaxing, colorful and peaceful here.
"I like this place," Orion said. "Everywhere we go in the colony there is beauty."
"We build it in," Prowl said. "You wanted a colony that would be home for our people and one that would be beautiful, to let them make a reality of their creative abilities and arts."
Orion nodded. "It is so," he said.
"We were going to go to Diego Garcia," Ratchet said. "Come with."
"Where's that?" Ironhide asked as they began to walk back to the metro.
"Ground zero for all of this on Earth," Ratchet said as they walked into the crowds to disappear from view.
=0=At The Fortress
The two stared at the space bridges that were part of the system employed by the building to do all manner of mostly military and/or high security transports. It was the place all resident humans used rather than the ones at the airports so that they could come and go more easily without the fuss of the tourists that came every day in droves. Prowl was ordering the coordinates as they watched silently. Everywhere they went they saw exceptional technological achievement and skill.
A bridge burst into view as Prowl glanced at them. "We'll go with this one."
"Were you ever on a space bridge?" Ironhide asked Orion as they began to walk forward to the platform.
"No," Orion said as he followed Prowl.
Ironhide followed Orion as Ratchet brought up the rear.
When they came out the other side they were in another bridge room, albeit smaller than the first. It was warm here as their bodies automatically compensated for the 222 degree change in temperature between Mars and Earth. Prowl led the way so the others followed, climbing stairs to reach a rec room like the one at The Fortress. Everything was smaller but each complimented each other.
"We're going outside first," Prowl said as he wound his way through the empty tables and chairs to two huge doors that were open to the bright warm outdoors. They walked through them and paused just outside. Prowl watched the two as they glanced around. Ratchet was standing just past Orion.
The sky was uncommonly blue with scattered huge fluffs of white clouds. It was very humid and the breeze was slight, just enough to make the dense heat less oppressive than it probably was. There were alien planes to the right of them lined up wingtip-to-wingtip and small vehicles driven by the humans were everywhere. A large group of them were lazing around the Embassy and all of them were surprised to see the four. Apparently, they didn't come here much.
The base was huge, seemingly like a human city and there were roads in a grid pattern with exquisitely manicured grounds everywhere. The sea was nearby and was an extraordinary sight to the two. It sparkled like it was strewn with diamonds, its luminous blue vastness rolling gently in with the waves. The beaches were beautiful and smooth with few humans taking advantage of them at the moment.
"This is Diego Garcia, the base we called home until we settled on Mars when the refugees came in droves. We were five, lived in a hangar that once occupied the embassy space and flew out to do missions with the humans. We had to root out the remaining 'Cons and secure the system. This place has a lot of memories and some of our soldiers following the Omega Beam still splash down here in their transitional forms following it. That's how we got the Dinobots back." Ratchet grinned at Prowl who rolled his optics.
"This is beautiful," Orion said. "What are the humans doing over there?"
Ratchet glanced at the usual mob hoping a bot would come out. "They're taking your picture. Those are cameras. We have a crowd here all the time of the curious. The fleet is in and so expect to see a lot of sailors." Ratchet grinned. "Let's take a stroll, then go to the beach. The water is amazing."
Prowl stepped out followed by the others as they headed outward to take a circuit of the base and island. The horseshoe lagoon that was Diego wouldn't take long to traverse but it would be filled with marvels for the newbies. As they began to head into the base itself on the roads wide and well made, the crowd began to follow.
Prowl explained their history here off line as they strolled along pausing at times to point out something that mattered. They reached the officers club in time for a number of them to walk out to go back to whatever they were doing before they dined. Several of them knew Prime and waved.
"Hello, Optimus. What brings you here? We don't get to see you, Prowl and Ironhide very often. Ratchet visits a lot though," Captain Mario said. He was a liaison with the bots for the Navy side of things and a good friend.
Orion glanced down as Prowl shot him data off line. "Hello, Captain Mario. Its good to see you again. I do not come as often as I wish."
"I can't imagine why," Major Charles replied. He was a marine and stationed on the base to handle that service branch and their needs. "I was wondering how you feel the next game for the Comets is going to turn out? You're playing Helex, I think."
"He is. The Comets will trash Helex. I hope," Ratchet said with a big grin. "Old Ironhide here," Ratchet said as he slapped Ironhide on the back. "He's going to kill it. Amirite?" he asked the big bemused mech.
"If you say so," Ironhide replied to enormous laughter among the punters.
More individuals came out including a familiar face.
Ratchet glanced at Cameron Frazer. "Well, look who's here. How they hanging, Frazer?" he asked borrowing slang from Bobby Epps and Will Lennox.
Frazer frowned. "What are you doing here?"
Ratchet stared at him, then the other three. "What ARE we doing here?"
The officers who were staring at Frazer with frowns turned back to the bots. "I hope you came here to give us all rides."
They laughed as the conversation turned back to gossip and future plans between this, the primo Autobot-Human base and Mars. Frazer watched them with a cold expression on his face as they chatted, then the bots moved onward. When they were out of hearing range, or so the humans guessed, Mario turned on Frazer. "You're a sore loser, Frazer. Remember that."
"Fuck you, Mario. I'm not in the service anymore. You have nothing to say to me," Frazer said hotly.
"And why are you out of the Navy? Care to tell us?" Mario shot back.
Frazer walked down the steps, then headed toward the building where the Martian human habitats maintained an office for their business. He was here to go over requisitions with the local officers.
The men watched him go, then glanced at each other.
"That man is a first-class asshole," Mario said.
No one disagreed with him.
=0=Around the base
It was a startling sight to see the Prime of Cybertron and three of his officers walking around the base, then head for the dock area. It was crowded but they threaded their way through the maze of cargo, vehicles, ships and sailors. They were stopped along the way for chat and selfies. Ironhide and Orion held up their end easily. By the time they made it through, they reached the fence that separated the base from the seashore. Stepping over it carefully, they reached the sandy shore, then paused by the water.
Sunlight glinted off the dark blue ocean surface as sparkles like diamonds dazzled all of them. The water was clear until it became deeper and the sand couldn't be seen as well. The lapping of the waves and a few sounds from the base were the only things that broke the silence.
"I could live near large bodies of water," Orion said. "This is comforting and beautiful."
"You have a beach house on Cybertron. All we need to do with it is replace the house, the landscaping, the beach, the water and its all yours again," Ratchet said.
Orion grinned. "You are telling me it would not take much to make it right."
"Hardly an orn's work," Ratchet replied. "Who wants to swim?"
They all did.
=0=RTR Tools at the same time
"Hello," Ravie said with a pleased smile. "We wondered when you would come to visit."
Kestrel walked in followed by Tagg. "We had to take care of some things, then come here. How are you?"
"We're fine. How are you two?" Tie Down asked as he banked a smelter.
"We are taking it one orn at a time," Kes said as they both sat. "Its very unnerving yet moving to have our son back as a youngster. He was such a handsome youngster."
"He must have been because he's become a most handsome and noble mech now," Ravel said with sincerity. "This will be rectified. I have hope in our smart people to do what they need to do to make it so."
Tagg nodded. "I do as well. Ironhide and Orion do not know each other now so this is a new adventure."
"They'll be friends again," Ravel said as he handed out drinks and snacks. "They're such brothers, the two."
"They are," Kestrel said.
They would chat and relax until their son came back from Earth. It had been a bit unnerving to know he'd gone but it was good in the end. Surveying his empire and allies was a good thing. The afternoon would wear on nicely.
=0=Diego
He came up from the bottom where he'd been dunked savagely. Glancing around, Ironhide focused on Ratchet who was floating on his back smiling and singing to himself. Like a big shark, Ironhide made his plan of attack but before he could, a huge servo gripped his arm and towed him under with great force.
Prowl who was treading water as he watched with amusement grinned with satisfaction. "Good on you, Orion Pax." That was when a huge servo gripped his ped and with another one slightly smaller, he was yanked under water without mercy.
=0=TBC 9-11-2020 edited
NOTES:
Thank you, Kyrsten Rook, for the lovely note. I'm so delighted to type this for everyone who reads it. Its my love letter to the universe. Its such a thing for me now that when I can't post I can hardly stand it. :D:D:D Ironhide and Prime getting together and talking about things together that will show more backstory is fun. I'm so happy you enjoy it. HUGS!
how they hanging?: extremely rude boy talk for 'how are you'. The slang itself means 'how are your balls hanging'. Yes, Ratchet is a savage. :D:D:D