The Diego Diaries: Game Changer 18 (dd3 9)
=0=Elsewhere
He trudged to the work site for orn two of his sentence. He was digging gravel for the footings of the new towers they were building for refugees-to-come. It was backbreaking, dull and hard on his finish. He had orns to go here before his sentence was completed. His genitors thought he was working at a desk job.
He didn't tell them where but they weren't hard to fool. His ada was engrossed in a medical problem for the CMO and his atar was busy looking for allies to make trouble among the high castes even as he struggled to find work 'worthy' for himself to do.
Reaching the dig site, he stared at pallets from the armory. They were filled with blasting materials that were used by sapper teams to blow up veins of rock too strong to be excavated. He looked around noting that no one was paying any attention to him or the pallets.
Stepping over to lean on one marked 'detonators-extreme caution', Burnoff pretended to inspect his ped. Using his peripheral vision, it was clear he was not being watched. With that in mind, he reached inside and drew away three unopened boxes of detonators and three large boxes of explosive plastique.
Safely tucking everything into subspace, he smirked to himself. Rising to stretch his limbs, he walked toward the path that led to the dig site below. He did so with a light step in his peds and a smile on his face. This orn would fly by as he considered what he would do with his good fortune later.
-0-Melrose Avenue, California
They knelt around the sound stage answering questions from the production team. Warren Roberts, Robert Epps, Will Lennox and Niall Graham walked around the room listening, checking some questions and re-translating others to the bots.
The filming of the opening and closing sequences had been finished so now they were refining their databases around which to plan their shooting.
Sunstreaker, Nitro, Scar and Sideswipe were bonded. Springer, Drift and Kup were bachelors. Kup and Springer were the senior officers in the group and even among the other fifteen soldiers that were on their filming roster. They'd fulfill the 'C.O.' and 'Exec' roles in the group.
The others would be the 'troops'. If they could include more senior officers it'd only be for the good. Their profiles of Prowl, Ironhide and Ratchet were pretty clear and would be an awesome addition to the overall vision if possible.
"What part of life in the city is the most important to you, Nitro?" a man asked.
"My family is the most important thing to me. The city and our population is next. I'll defend the city. This colony and solar system is something I'd die to defend," Nitro said quietly. "This is our last stand. Our resolve is absolute."
"What drew you to the Decepticons, Scar?" another man asked the big scary-looking former Decepticon nearby.
"Our system on Cybertron wasn't fair or just. We had no way to do anything more than what our caste doomed us to do. There was no reason to obey the laws or be a citizen when there was no justice. I got into trouble early on and kept at it. It felt like justice to kick tailpipe and steal from the high castes.
"I liked to fight and found out I was good at it. The Decepticons offered a way to get even and I took it. I was good at creating mayhem. I had an outlet. That's what it was all about. Getting even."
"But you changed."
Scar nodded. "I did. We were part of a refugee migration. Our group captain got sideways of Megatron. Megatron didn't like side projects and Turmoil had a lot of them. We had to run. There was a termination order on us because of that. We came to the colony armed and fought with Prime.
"When it was clear to us that we were going to be blown to the Pit or worse, abandoned in space as exiles upon the order of the Prime without resources to go anywhere else we had a mutiny. We surrendered and ended up in a prison camp on Mars.
"It'd been built by Decepticons that had switched sides. They were humiliated that Turmoil had fired on the civilian ships in the migration and had built the prison to help Prime and as a step to show their solidarity with the colony.
"While I was there it became clear to me that this was not the life I wanted. I wanted more. It was the same as it was in the beginning when I was a youngling who had nothing and no hope. I wanted a life of my own choosing and Prime offered it. He also offered someone who was honorable to follow.
"I admire him. I came to admire him greatly. I'd serve with him in any capacity he asks of me. I want to have a life for my bond and our daughter. She goes to school," he said with great pride. "I was never allowed to do that. She'll go to University and become someone. That's why I'm an Autobot and a citizen with allegiance to the Prime." He raised his arm and the Autobrand gleamed in the lighting. "This is my pledge."
Nearby, two men were interviewing Kup, Drift and Springer. "You're the oldest Autobot here right, Kup?"
The big bot nodded. "I'm the senior Autobot here. I predated Unicron."
Drift smirked.
Springer snorted. "He did. Kicked his tailpipe didn't you."
"I did," Kup said champing on his stogie with his arms crossed in front of his broad chest. "Unicron whimpered like a three-legged targ every time I came around. It was like that time on Sandrohan," he began.
"Ah, Sandrohan. You gonna tell them about the smelting pits?" Springer asked with a grin. "I like the part about the smelting pits. Don't you, Drift?"
"I do," that handsome bot said.
"What are smelting pits?" the men asked.
"Well, think of it as a lava pit where you put your enemies when you tire of them. Imagine melting down to slag," Kup said. "Not a good place to go. Went there anyway. Had a job to do."
"You did it. You were awesome," Springer said. "That's why you're so old. No one got ya yet."
"Won't either. Fragged Unicron. No one wants to take a shot."
"I did."
Both looked at Drift.
He grinned. "I took a shot at you on Prian IV."
"How? I don't recall that. I remember Prian IV. What a Pit that was," Kup said considering the white bot with a gimlet optic.
"I was the sniper in the tower."
Kup looked at him for a moment without comment. Then he took his stogie into servo. "You were that fragger? Good shooting."
"Thanks," Drift said with a smile.
"Missed though," Kup said putting his stogie back into his mouth.
"I did," Drift said with a chuckle.
"Unicron missed, too," Kup said absently.
The humans watched with silent awe.
-0-RTR Tools
They worked side-by-side in a shop that could only be imagined in their dreams. It was beautiful and filled with all the tools, equipment and space they could ever need. A total of ten orders were before them.
The Construction Union had asked for several large tools and some small ones. The Home Guard were starting to come in and request tool kits for different kinds of weapons.
A femme had come in to order a wrought iron wall sconce that was a traditional home ornament on Cybertron. Her genitors were working on their apartment and she wanted to recreate something they had back in Polyhex.
The order from Prowl for two kits, one for Prime and one for himself was given pride of place. Not only would it be perfection it would also be beautiful. Quotations from the Chronicles and famous poems would be detailed into the finish with an almost religious zeal.
It was all good.
-0-End of shift
He walked from the pit after putting his shovel on the rack. A trip through the public shower rack at the Guild Hall nearby would be had, dinner with the genitors, then a solitary evening spent planning and organizing his decision.
Soon everyone would know about it and he would prove to Barricade that he wasn't just a youngling with a chip on his shoulder and an entitlement problem. He'd be a player. His tread was light as he walked toward Metroplex and the Guild Hall.
It was all good.
-0-School
They were let out, genitors coming from all over to get their children. Lines of infants waiting for the Community School teachers to come get them until their genitors were off shift gathered patiently as they happily chatted together. Others waited for their coaches to take them to football practice. It was busy, happy and filled with good energy.
Ratchet waited for Sunspot as he held Orion and Praxus. They sat on his arms and grinned, patting him as they told him about their AWESOME day.
"ADA, GOOD ME. I GOOD ME. PAX GOOD. PAX ME. GOOD ATAR. GO ATAR, ME? ADA FLY. ADA FLY ME GOOD. TOTO LOVE ORION. ORION LOVE EMEE. HAN BAD. GOOD ME, ORION. Hi," Orion said with a ginormous smile.
The last breathy softly spoken word always cracked Ratchet up and he laughed at Orion.
The little bot smiled back and looked with bright optics at everyone around him. It was nice to be with his ada, to be happy to share his day, to be the center of attention. No baby anywhere could want more.
Praxus looked at Ratchet and patted his chassis. "Ada."
"Praxus."
"Ada good. Pax love Ada."
Ratchet nearly fell over backwards.
-0-Shortly after
"Frag."
"I almost did a back flip. Ironhide. Baby? Ada love Praxus."
The infant who was sitting on a table in the rec room in The Fortress examining his 'belly button' looked up and smiled brightly. "Ada."
"Ada love Praxus. Atar love Praxus."
The infant looked at Ratchet, then Ironhide. He smiled at both. "Atar."
Ironhide felt his optics misting. "Praxus."
The baby looked at his old dad then smiled. "Atar. Pax love Atar."
Ironhide nearly slid off his chair.
-0-Nearby
"I think we have a practice to watch, Tie. Sunspot is supposed to be with his team in the school arena."
They both checked their schedule planner. "We better go. Sunspot will want us there," Tie said.
They tucked everything in for their away time and walked to the door. Keying in a short note about being gone for an infant football practice into the window message monitor, the grandgenitors shut their door and walked off together for the Autobot City Youngling Sports Arena to watch their grandsparkling be a 'slagging good' wing for his team, the Altihex Attitudes.
It was all good.
-0-At the airfield four joors later
Cosmos set down on his gear and slid his hatch open. As the ramp slid to the ground, bots were walking off.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe rolled down pausing at the bottom for Kup. That worthy walked off trailed by the others and when they gathered at the bottom they began to go to The Fortress for a debrief.
The humans rolled off on their segways heading for the Habitat to check in with the scientists, some of which were on trips to forward bases.
When they were clear, Cosmos transformed and began to walk to the complex where the giants lived. He would be off duty for three orns.
-0-On a ship to the forward base on Charon
Sheila Conroy sat by a window and watched with awe as Saturn shimmered nearby. They were flying past heading for the farthest important celestial body in their sun's radius where a forward base filled with intrepid soldiers held all their safety in their own servos.
They were shock troops that could be deployed to fight in the regions far from home to slow down or prevent sneak attacks or invasions by the enemy.
The moons of Saturn flashed past, some of them only noticeable by their shadows on the beautiful banded planet. The rings were beautiful and all was silent.
The image burned into her brain as she took pictures for the nightly upload to Earth on her blog.
Neptune appeared, a beautiful planet with a tilted axis and ring system that was unknown until fairly recently. The many moons could be discerned until they passed from view speeding onward.
Uranus was farther away in orbit and thus out of view so she waited for Pluto. She didn't have to wait long.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
"The images are beautiful," Jazz said as they sat together reviewing film.
"They make the soldiers look resolute, especially Kup," Prowl said.
"Some of them look dangerous," Optimus said. He put down the data pad. "I like the idea behind this but I won't allow this to become salacious. I do not want this to become something it is not."
"I agree," Jazz said. "I think the capable and maybe even dangerous aspects of this are good to a degree, Optimus. I want the humans to have confidence but not to fear anyone."
"Agreed," Optimus said. He glanced up as Ironhide walked in and sat. "The images are good so far," he said handing the data pad to the big Autobot.
Ironhide looked at them. "Looks moody and dangerous."
"It does," Prowl said. "We do get final approval no matter what so if it goes off the rails we can put a stop to it."
Prime considered that. "Agreed." He looked at Ironhide. "You look pleased with yourself."
"Praxus has new words," Ironhide said proudly.
"He has a good bad example with Orion," Optimus said. "What has he said now?"
"Praxus said, 'Pax love Atar'," Ironhide said as his optics misted.
They sat and had a moment together.
-0-That night
He sat in his room in the apartment he shared with friends and began to assemble his message to the colony. Borrowing a friend's identification to cover his tracks, he found out how to make bombs on the Teletraan III secured database. They were easy to assemble for maximum effect with the stuff he'd stolen and he did.
Stuffing them into his subspace, he walked to the door. Listening, he waited until it was clear and slipped out heading to the elevator and beyond.
It would be a short walk to the places he wanted to attend to and when he was finished, he slipped back into his apartment and his room to wait.
He wouldn't have to wait long.
-9-TBC edited 4-23-2022
2012 (9) I see my Uncle John in Kup and I'm using his military self and his dry crazy funny humor to help fill out Kup. My uncle was a great man, a marine from WWII, as funny and good natured as Kup. He looked fearsome and was hilariously funny with his cigar and his gimlet eyes on the smartaleck younglings in our family. But he was brave, squishily warm and a lovely man. RIP, John Paxton. You were and still are my hero. :D