The Diego Diaries: (dd8 686)
This was supposed to go out last night. :( HERE WE GO!
=0=Senior Autobot and Community Committee the next day
They came, all of them, some limping to their chairs on top of the table. When everyone was set, Prime glanced at Prowl. Prowl had already passed out the agendas which were long when he noticed the splint on Will Lennox's leg. "What happened to you, Pee Wee?"
Everyone leaned forward to stare at Lennox as Raptor tapped his split with a gigantic digit.
:OW!: Lennox said as he frowned at Raptor.
"You have a boo boo?" Raptor asked with a big grin. "Put your self repair programming on it. Wait. You don't have any."
Rude laughter filled the room as Neo leaned forward to stare at the splint with a frown. "Are you hurt, William? What happened to you?"
Where it happened …
They slowly edged up the cliff face gripping hand grips that were placed at spaced intervals, so dangerous was the climb. Clipping their ropes into established pitons, they inched upward on this, the first and safest, mind you, of the climbs they would undertake all over the planet. Then a rock slipped beneath Will's foot, one that'd come loose during the relatively more warm phase of daily light that the season sometimes created in the landforms around them. Many were the pictures of the hillsides of Mars seemingly weeping dark streaks as the frozen water in them melted and ran downhill.
He lost his grip and slid frantically seeking a foot or hand hold that would stop his slide. He jammed his foot against a sharp outcropping of rock, then felt something inside snap. Gasping with pain, he arrested his fall, tightened his ropes, then took stock. :Fuck. I think I hurt my ankle: He glanced at Kindle who was hovering in the air ready to grab him if he couldn't halt the slide. :I can't move, Kindy:
:You seem to have jammed your foot. Did something break?: he asked as he came closer to stare at the ped that shouldn't have worked anyway, it was so strange, but it did.
Organics.
:I don't know but I know I'm not climbing any further on this foot: Will said as pain shot up his leg in stinging waves.
"Everyone hold in place. I'm getting Lennox out of here," Kindle said as he gripped William. He watched as the human who he LOVED unfastened his ropes, then rode in his servo to the ground at Base Camp 1. A call for a bridge to N.E.S.T. HQ was accomplished, then Kindle returned to the mountain to lead the rest of the mission directly. They would learn buckets of things about climbing in this kind of terrain and this degree of difficulty. No one else would be hurt.
Will would receive treatment and a brace at home for a very severe sprain of his ankle.
Meeting …
"You slaggers. You break over the least little thing," Raptor said with a smug grin.
:We do. Did you hear that sound just now?: Lennox asked.
They stared at him, each other, then Lennox again. "What sound?" -everyone there including Prime and a slightly frowning Prowl.
Ratchet was too busy carrying on a private conversation with most of the humans to join in. He knew a set up line for a gag when he heard one.
Army.
:It was the sound of my heart breaking when you mocked me just now, fragger: Lennox said to a mech that he adored with a capital A.
Huge laughter greeted that as Ratchet leaned forward on his elbows. "I'm assuming that mercs were with you given Polaski pushing them around. Did they laugh in your face or did they wait for Kindy to rescue you before showing their true colors?"
Lennox grinned at Ratchet. :We have new mercs, about five. Those with us that day seemed better, smarter. I don't know if they are but they did their job without bullshit and for that they might have promise:
"Promise. I do remember thinking that about you humans and then Ratchet showed me a medical video on your junk," Springer said. "Your kind never recovered for me from that."
More huge laughter including elegant snickering from Neo greeted that.
Ratchet beamed like the sun.
Knuckles rapping brought Hated and Dreaded Reality® back into play. "Shall we continue, children?" Prowl asked.
"Sure, Ma," Springer replied.
Even more huge laughter and nodding of helms greeted that as Prime grinned in spite of himself. He got a huge frown from Ma.
"Continue," Prowl said.
"Who? Tiny or someone else?" Ratchet asked with another blinding smile.
Everyone including Prowl took a moment to enjoy it, then Prowl sat back. "Springer for being a fragger."
"Okay," Springer said to general snickering. "We have a problem that was pointed out to us about the art community. Some of the new businesses dealing in art still operate with some of the old ways, such as strong arming artisans to show their works in their galleries. We paid a visit to one who is ALLEGED to be doing this and Tyke decided that a Caste Court was in order."
"I'm in. When?" -everyone there
Prowl frowned. "Who are the slaggers?"
"I can't say because I have to protect the innocent. Maybe," Springer said with a smug expression.
The Battle of the Two Mrs. Optimus Prime's still raged on.
"Raimier and Salute of Quick Silver Creations," Ratchet supplied EVER so HELPFULLY. "Don't quote me." He smiled like the sun. "Quote me."
Springer frowned at him. "Uh, Ada. That's not cool."
Ratchet gave him his best smile, all ten trillion watts of it.
Everyone stared at him mesmerized a moment before Prowl glanced at Barron. "Should I read him his rights?"
Barron grinned. "Something tells me it won't matter."
HUGE laughter and helm nodding greeted that remark.
Ratchet dazzled them again with his beauty.
For the bots.
The humans? Not so much though many of them thought him cute.
Prowl glanced around with his agenda gripped tightly in both servos. "Well," he drawled. "Aren't we all just special this morning."
"I am." -Drift
"I think I was until about ten minutes ago. Now I'm twice as special from the love," Neo said as she glanced around with adoration for all on her beautiful face.
"I am watching my queen," Elita said as she grinned at Neo.
Neo shot her oceans of love back.
"I was always special," Raptor said.
Blackjack beamed at him. He agreed as well it seemed.
"He was. He was always in special classes, special detention, special courts for stealing cars, special for passing that gene to his son," Hardie began as Raptor preened beside him.
"I used to be special," Fort Max said in his deep, deep voice. "Then I became spectacular so I don't think I can continue in this conversation."
HUGE laughter and HUGER agreement greeted that.
Metrotitans.
"I never met a former Decepticon that wasn't special and I mean that in a good way," Payload said as Caro beamed sweetly beside him.
"Yes," Blackjack said. "Every time I think of Decepticons I think, 'what a special group you are'. You can read that anyway you want."
HUGE laughter especially among the humans.
Prowl watched his meeting and everyone's sense of dedication and propriety slide into For The Good of the Order™ which he noted was agenda item 323 as he clutched his datapad tightly.
WTF? -Prowl
"BWAHAHAHA!" -Prime, the Daddio of Good Order. Most of the time but not now.
Rap. Rap. Rap.
The room froze as the entire group swiveled their optics/eyes/eye stalks to look at Prowl. That entity's innards curdled a bit but it didn't reach his face.
Much.
"Recess is over. Where were we or do I have to consult the tape?" Prowl asked.
"Are you taping us? Where are my rights? Did you get informed consent? What the frag, Prowl?"n-everyone there including Neo and Barron who pretended to take notes with a shocked expression on his face.
Prowl's innards curdled again.
Raptor was ordered out of the room into time out for ten minutes.
Prowl gave everyone The Look®, then sat back. "Continue."
"Who?" -everyone
Prowl called a ten minute break.
=0=Out there
"What's the intel now?" Ominous asked his tactical officer for the tenth time.
"It hasn't changed," that officer said. "He's still collecting and has about 22% more force size than he had a decaorn ago. At this rate he's going to focus this way and you know we're going to be his first target."
Ominous nodded. "Keep me informed," he said as he walked to his quarters to consider that terrible possibility. A call to Razorclaw and Prime was in order. An alliance had to be made for all of them.
=0=In here
"Then we bought a lot of shares in XYZ because the DOW showed a pattern of steady growth over three quarters with a projection of ABC over PDQ. Venture and I have done the math if you'd like to see it." Caro looked up from his datapad with a hopeful expression.
"We would be delighted, Caro," Prowl said and he meant it.
/ … OH THE FRAG NO! .../ -everyone else in their processors including the Messiah of His People®.
"I'D BE DELIGHTED TO SHOW YOU THEN!" -Caro being delighted.
=0=Out there
"It looks like he's getting ready to fight one of us," Surrell said as he stood beside Razorclaw watching the progress of a big fleet across the quadrant. There were blinking lights of a steady stream of Seeker flights sent by Prime to see what was what. It was obvious that he was as aware of this as they were. "Are you going to contact Ominous? I'd expect Paladin to strike him first."
Razorclaw nodded to this, perhaps the closest thing to a real friend he had. He and Surrell went back a long way. "It might be fun." He grinned a humorless grin. "Alliance time perhaps?" he asked.
Surrell grinned himself. "For whose benefit?" he asked.
Razorclaw nodded, then chuckled. "Not for his, the hapless slagger."
=0=In here
Prime took the datapad from a runner while Caro chirped on. He read the data, then handed it to a rapt and attentive Prowl.
Perhaps 'Calculator with legs' had some kind of basis in fact he thought until Prowl's legs became a distraction. Coughing slightly, an entirely unneeded thing, he turned back to Caro as Prowl frowned reading the datapad.
Alliances would be made, Prime considered, with Razorclaw and Ominous asking for them. They might get them with MAJOR concessions. It was all fraught as Prowl liked to say. He would see what he could do in the flux of this, only one of several fires burning at the moment.
Caro continued with a rapt Payload watching him. Everyone as they did wondered how much Caro's job was discussed around their house. They'd be surprised to know not very much. Both of them were serious fans of their children and building a small fixed wing vessel for their family to excursion in some fine orn.
In short, they were normal.
=0=Around
The Art Guild gathered a short meeting of their committee council members over a notice that they'd all received from Delphi of Praxus. A Caste Court was being held shortly over a matter that affected their entire community. Convening in their Guild Hall conference room, they sat.
"What do we do about this, Cargil?" a member asked.
"We have to go. All of the affected groups, the decorative arts especially will have to come. These carry force of law now because Prime added them to the arbitration process of law as an option. The Praxians are very honorable in their dealings and Prime and the Matrix is the court of appeal. We have to be ready to answer questions for this event and make sure that everyone understands that not only do they have to go, they have to feel free to speak," Century, their President, said.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem for me, Century," Harpy, an antique jeweler said with an edge to his voice.
=0=TBC 4-12-2023
ESL
convene (cun- veen) to gather and begin
NOTES:
I am deeply surprised that huger is an actual real word.
Daddio. LOL! I haven't thought about that word since I was a kid back in the Jurassic.