The Diego Diaries: Chaos (dd3 43)
=0=On the way to the airfield
They stepped out into the sunlight of a new orn. There were many bots going to school with their infants. When they saw Ironhide and Ratchet's family walking toward the airfield a large number of them turned around to follow. Soldiers were already gathering there along with civilians, Seekers and humans. Near the front of the crowd a heavily laden pair of segways held army femmes who had come in just that morning from Diego Garcia. They shared space with segways filled with human scientists.
The sun was bright overhead as air traffic continued even though a ceremony that was millions of years old was going to be taking place. IntraCom had a film crew out to capture the goings-on for The Hourly News and the !*JAZZ AND BLASTER SHOW*! which was now simulcast on Channel 5 of IntraCom as well as on radio. It had been switched to that broadcast channel from 3 because that channel had become educational. Even though Blaster and Jazz supplied a lot of history and histrionics it wasn't considered educational.
They reached Club Cybertron and continued onward, a little family collecting friends and colleagues who paused in their own missions to join theirs. Prime and Prowl walked to the airfield together, their infants in servo. They had skipped school to attend and when they arrived they stood with colleagues, compatriots and friends of eons of struggle.
Surrounding them were strangers, newbies to the colony from any number of migrations and others. Some were homesick Praxians seeking a familiar moment of consolation that showed their dead city and her particular customs weren't forever lost.
When they reached the junction to the Fortress, Habitat and Temple, they turned left and walked along the heavily crowded street to the little platform placed by crews from the airfield. The Guardians were there transformed and chatting, Seekers helm and shoulders some of them above the big crowd stood together. Ratchet walked without a sparkling leading the way as the family came along behind. Miler and Venture caught up and joined them.
Wheeljack, Perceptor, most of the Wreckers, most of the Night Watch off shift, dozens and dozens of Home Guard trained by Ironhide, priests, elderly, younglings and the film crews were there. Sunspot sat in his grandatar's arms clutching his datapad. He looked at the crowd and felt fear. Then he considered his sister's name and felt better.
She would in her own way help him to announce her to the world as it gathered before them. By the time they were stepping up on the little platform where a microphone system would broadcast the speech making to all, there were over 25,000 individuals gathered with more coming.
Ratchet moved to one side making space for everyone else. They climbed up, this reclaimed family. Venture stepped down and dragged Prowl, Prime and the infants up, rejoining the group as he did. As they waited for Ironhide to announce things, a familiar form wove her way through the crowd. A chuckle rose up as those familiar with other times recognized who it was. A cheer went up as Silverbow ascended the stage and hugged Sunspot. She turned around to stand in front of Sunstreaker with Sunspot's servo firmly in her own.
Sunstreaker looked down and smirked. He kissed her helm and looked at Ironhide. "Everyone is here."
A chuckle spread through the crowd as Traibreaker and Hound holding Rebel watched as their daughter showed her stuff once more. No amount of explaining ever convinced her that she shouldn't be there, too so they didn't try.
Ironhide grinned down at her and then glanced at the others. Smirking, they nodded. He looked at Sunspot and knelt, the shrouded baby firmly in his arms. "You ready, Sunspot?"
He looked at the crowd then Ironhide. Nodding without a word, he stepped closer to his atar. Ironhide arose to look out at the crowd. "I am Ironhide and this is my family," he said.
The cheer was deafening.
"Thank you for coming to this ceremony to name our daughter and ask the community to share a stake in her growing up. Everyone of our sparklings have had this ceremony and it occurred to Ratchet and I that a most important member of our family needed to be a part of things more than usual.
"We asked our son, Sunspot if he wanted to do this. He agreed and worked on his speech for a decaorn. He worked hard," Ironhide said pointedly, giving the crowd his 'don't frag with me, recruit' optics. "He not only will do the honors, he will tell you the name he chose for her, his sister. We haven't heard his speech. We don't know her name. This is a first time of us, too. Sunspot, come, son and tell us about your thinking on this."
Ironhide stepped back as the crowd erupted to welcome the little bot to the microphone. Jazz stepped forward and adjusted it for the tiny Seeker who looked even smaller than usual. Starscream and his trine, Dirge and his stood on the sidewalk nearby offering the little bot their support. The crowd was peppered with Seekers who were here to help the little bot who had become a mascot among them do the honors.
He looked at them, then his datapad, then Ratchet. Ratchet whose insides were quivering smiled and nodded. :You're my hero, son: he said.
Sunspot blinked with surprise, then smiled. He turned to the crowd and began. Looking at his datapad, he began to read. "My name is Sunspot and I am the son of Ironhide and Ratchet, brother of Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Orion and Praxus. I am uncle to Kaon, Uraya, Iacon, Miracle, Rambler, T-Bar and Spirit. I have uncles and grandgenitors. I have new ones!" he said looking over his datapad with a huge smile. He got huge smiles back. "My grandgenitors are Tie Down, Ravel, Blackjack and Alor. My honorary grandgenitors are Venture and Miler. They said they were honorary because they chose me." He smiled and the crowd smiled back. "They are wonderful and so nice. I love them and they love me."
"Who wouldn't?" someone in the crowd called out.
Sunspot looked up and smiled. Then he read on. "I have friends and other adults who love me. Uncle Optimus, Uncle Prowl, Uncle Starscream, Uncle Thundercracker and Uncle Sky Warp are just a few. I also am brother-in-law to Bluestreak who I love because he's so nice."
Bluestreak who was holding Iacon grinned. He nudged Sunspot with his ped and the little bot looked back smiling. He turned back to his datapad and began to read again. "I don't remember my real genitors," he began and as he did the crowd hushed, the mood shifting. "They went away when I was too small to remember. I never had a home after that until now. I was always on my own and always afraid. I was hungry sometimes and other times I was wet when it rained.
"There was no one who loved me until here. I do remember Mr. Terradive tried to help me. He kept me with him and the other Seekers making sure I was okay. But we got separated after the battle on Earth where The Fallen died and Megatron was hurt. I fought there and ran when it all ended.
"I ran and was afraid. The humans scare me. I am better now but they still scare me. I didn't like being a Decepticon. I didn't like having to be around Shockwave and Megatron. They didn't like me. I hid from them and sometimes they would make me fight organics for fun. They thought it was funny."
The tone of the group was funereal and the Seekers in the group ranged from shimmering fury to revulsion. Starscream stared at Sunspot, the little bot he was helping to recover his identity as a Seeker and his expression was a desolation. Thundercracker looked homicidal. Ratchet schooled his expression to pleasantness and soldiered onward.
"I was rescued and on that orn everything became good. I have a family. I get to go to school!" he said peering over his datapad at the crowd, an expression of pure elation on his little face. The crowd broke into thunderous applause and Sunspot absorbed it for a moment. He looked up at Ironhide who looked at him with deeply emotional optics. He nodded.
Sunspot continued. "I have a house to live in, a room of my own where I can hang my badges and pictures. I am on a football team. My brothers are on the Kaon team and they are amazing. They tell me I'm a good wing." He looked up at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They looked at him with intense pride and nodded.
He smiled at them and looked at his datapad. "My genitors told me that we had another sparkling, a femme. I like femmes. They are pretty and nice. Silverbow is my friend. She can draw and run fast. She's on a team, too and very fast. I know. I played against her and she outran me twice."
The spell was broken as laughter and applause filled the air. He looked at them and then the datapad. "I am happy now. I never was before. I would do anything for my family and my city. I get to read books. I get to play. I am no longer hungry. I don't have any wounds from combat now."
That was a dagger in every spark and heart in the crowd. He continued. "I have responsibilities now. My little brothers Orion and Praxus need me to help them with teachings. My ada told me that I would have to do that so I do. Now my ada told me that we would have another sparkling to help grow up. I would have to help a sister become a grown up. So I will.
"I will be her hero. My family is my hero. They all are. They saved me. I love them and they love me. I have friends here. Our Prime is a hero, too. Everywhere I look I see heroes. That made me think. What kind of name is a good one for a sparkling? My genitors said I could pick out her name. Orion is named for Uncle Optimus. Praxus is named for my atar's hometown.
"What is a good name for a femme I asked. They said a good name is one that you can grow into, one that tells something about life and them. So I am choosing this name for my sister because it tells me what she is to me. She is my hero. This sparkling's name is Hero."
The place went slagging nuts.
When the roar settled, Ironhide stood after hugging Sunspot to him. Sunstreaker reached down and picked Sunspot up hugging him. "Good job, spud," he said. Sunspot hugged him tighter. "I still like the name."
Sunspot looked at him and smiled immensely. "I do, too." He lay on Sunstreaker's shoulder worn out from the moment. Ironhide stepped forward as he did. "This is our daughter, the sparkling forever to be known as Hero." He pulled the blankets back and a tiny femme with pink booties could be seen.
Laughter erupted. "Ironhide! She looks just like you!" Jazz yelled.
"She's my slagging daughter. WHY NOT!" Ironhide yelled back with a giant smile. "You can't make me feel bad, Jazz."
With that, the crowds stepped forward to see her and touch her tiny ped. When they did, they signified that not only was she a member of the community but someone they would protect, help educate and guide. It was a win-win.
They streamed up, thousands of mechs and a femme or three. Younglings exclaimed over the baby, elderly too. Thousands of them saw her, the pride of her family and siblings. Ravel and Tie Down stood proudly besides an equally proud Alor and Blackjack. They took congratulations as well, feeling every wonderful moment in their sparks.
She slept mostly, now and again opening a single optic to cast a gimlet stare at someone before falling back in recharge. She was tiny, winged and black armored with delicate detailing and soft pink booties. When the soldiers made their way forward Niall grinned. "I see you have her booties. We got them made from the same woman who made them for the other sparklings."
"Then you're saying they're heirlooms," Ratchet said with a grin.
"Everything we give you is an heirloom," Epps said with a smirk.
"Including slag?" Sideswipe asked to general hilarity.
Sunstreaker held Sunspot who looked down at the humans tensely. The femmes came forward and greatly abused Ratchet for not letting them see the separation. "THESE SLAGGERS DON'T LOVE YOU LIKE WE DO!" Jesse said with a grin.
"Sorry, sweetness," Ratchet said with genuine regret. "I'll make sure it won't happen with the next one. Ironhide would be desolate if you missed him."
"You're slagging delusional, Ratchet," Ironhide said to enormous hilarity.
They continued to banter and when the last bot passed by the humans followed them to the Cafe Praxus for the celebration dinner. They would sit on the table top shooting the breeze and fussing with the femme who slept on the table on a pile of blankets oblivious to all around her. The only one with a problem would be Sunspot who sat on Ironhide's lap while they were there.
Some things change slowly. Some things never changed.
=0=TBC 2012 (10) edited 12-21-18