The Diego Diaries: Chaos (dd3 65)
-0-In a studio
:What is a trine if you can tell us?:
Blue considered that. :It's a relationship. There's little more than I can say given taboos. It's a bond:
:The two you're bonded with are Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. They're incredible soldiers. Are you one, too, and how do you balance your family? You have children, yes?:
Bluestreak nodded. :We share the duty of the sparklings. As for me, I'm a soldier, too. I've been a soldier as long as the twins. I'm a sharpshooter. I'm a sniper. All three of us have been soldiers for as long as the war it seems. We've fought together and apart. We've been hurt and repaired. We have our family and we share duties with them when someone is on assignment and have lots of family to fall back on for support:
:What can you tell me about the twins? What are they like? They seem very masculine and sort of dangerous:
Bluestreak smiled. :I suppose they do to others. To me, they're my bonds. They've been my friends for eons and we know each other well. They're who they are but to me there's nothing to fear:
:You have infants. Is it possible to see them and hear about them?:
Bluestreak considered the request a moment, then reached down to pick up the twinnies. :These are our daughters. This one: he said holding up a smiling beauty :is Iacon and this one is Uraya. They're named after cities on Cybertron. The twins are from Kaon, which is the name of our son. Iacon was the city of the Autobots back on Cybertron. We commemorate them by naming our sparklings after them: he said. They sat on his servos in front of Lenora and smiled widely. They were holding their dollies tightly.
:What beautiful babies. They're smiling so big: Lenora said with a smile of her own. :Tell us about them:
:They're split spark twins: Bluestreak said. :Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are split spark twins, too. They are two separate individuals with one spark or personality. They're the only twins in the history of our species before these two:
:Only one set?: Lenora asked with amazement.
:It's a strange anomaly and not common like among your species: Blue said. :These two are the first femme twins ever born among us:
Lenora stepped down from the segway and walked to stand before them. The twins looked at he then each other. Tweeting softly, Uraya looked up at Bluestreak. Blue grinned. Sending soothing energy, the baby looked back at Lenora. :They're so beautiful:
:Sunstreaker says they're slagging awesome. His words: Blue said.
:They are: Lenora said touching Iacon's ped. The baby smiled and reached out taking Lenora's hand. Blue pulled her back and she let go. :You might not want to have the really small ones take hold of you. They haven't learned to be careful yet:
:She has a big grip: Lenora said rubbing her hand.
:Did she hurt you?: Blue asked worriedly.
:No. You stopped her in time: Lenora said with a grin. She looked across the room at the fenced-in passel of mechs. :What about those babies? Are any of them yours?:
:One is: Bluestreak said putting the twins down into their play area. He rose and walked past them to pluck Kaon out of the group who were pushing little wooden and metallic cars around the floor inside their play area. Stepping back, he stood Kaon on the floor.
Kaon looked at the humans then Bluestreak. [Atar?] he asked.
Bluestreak grinned. He kissed Kaon's little face. :This is Kaon, our oldest infant. He's the grandson of the Prime and my own atar, Prowl. He's the second infant born in the garrison since we came here:
:He has little wings. They're so cute. They don't mean he can fly do they?: Lenora asked.
Bluestreak chuckled. :No. Our wings are information gathering devices. Some of us have very sophisticated types like Prowl. Some of us are configured for other things. My wings help me in my primary job of shooting and scouting:
:He's really pretty, Bluestreak. Do his colors mean anything? What about the markings on him?:
:He's another 'slagging awesome sparkling' according to Sunstreaker. His colors are for the three of us. His chevron is a sensor array for him and the gray color is for me. The black and white on his wings are for me. Red and white are for Sideswipe, yellow is for Sunstreaker:
:The markings?: Lenora asked tracing her fingers along the engraved etchings that went down the arm of the infant. He smiled at her, his sweetness evident. She grinned and patted his cheek. Kaon smiled enormously and looked up at Bluestreak. Blue smiled down at him. :Those markings are glyphs, which are the writings of our people. They're his name, our names, his clan, city-states of his parents, and his own: Pointing to each, Blue recited them. :He's from Mars. His genitors … parents … they're from Kaon and Praxus and his family name is Venture-Sunstreaker:
:Venture-Sunstreaker?:
Bluestreak nodded. :The twins are orphans. The family name on their side comes from the oldest mech in their family. Since they didn't know their father's name because they were orphaned nearly at birth, they use Sunstreaker for clan and family names because he's the oldest known mech in his family. Prowl is my genitor and we used his father's name because he's the oldest mech. Kaon can also use Optimus Prime's name in the clan/family names because he's my adopted genitor as well as Prowl:
:You're an orphan, too?: Lenora asked.
Bluestreak nodded. :You will be hard pressed to find a mech that isn't. Some of us are lucky. Prowl's genitors were rescued and so were Ratchet and Ironhide's. Mine died in a rocket barrage during the war. For a long time, I was the only acknowledged survivor of a city battle that took 2,000,000 sparks. Now there are actual survivors of the barrage turning up here. It makes me feel less terrible:
:Survivor's guilt?: Lenora asked.
Bluestreak nodded. :I suppose so. I don't like to talk about it:
Lenora nodded. :I can imagine. I suppose this place means a lot to all of you. Is this the first home you've had since Cybertron?:
:This is the first safe one. This is the first and I think only place in the Diaspora that's a real Cybertronian city. This is a place that feels like home. We can relax and do things that we did on Cybertron. We can redo the things we got wrong and remember who we are:
:You can regather your culture as well as your people: Lenora said.
Bluestreak nodded. :That's true:
Kaon looked up reaching for Bluestreak who picked him up and carried him back to the others. The little mechs hugged him tightly and handed over a car that he was playing with earlier. Kaon knelt down and they were off to the races. Walking back, Bluestreak sat and looked at the others. Lenora looked at the babies then Bluestreak. :The city out there … it's what the cities are like on Cybertron?:
:Very much so. We built upward and lived in apartment towers on Cybertron. We had sports stadiums, factory districts and cultural things. We didn't have an organic world. Cybertron is metallic with few areas that still remain organic. This world is completely organic. It's different but beautiful in its own way:
:The twins have a reputation as tough fighters who take chances. Yet, Sunstreaker is a talented and much sought after painter:
:Sunny was a painter on Cybertron before the war. You can be tough and important in the military and still have other sides to your personality. The Decepticons got all the professional soldiers when the clash began. The army and air force went to Megatron with notable exceptions. We, the Autobots were mostly civilians. We had to learn how to fight. That's why we have many professions in the Autobots:
:That's evident. What were you before the war began, Bluestreak:
The big handsome bot looked at Lenora as images of older more terrible times came to mind. He leaned closer, his optics filled with emotion. :I was a child: he said quietly.
-0-Coming back from the Temple
"I didn't expect that the Well would be granting sparks," Prowl said glancing at Ratchet.
The big lanky doctor smiled. "Good timing."
They crossed the road and walked into the courtyard pausing long enough to gab with the elders gathered there to talk and play games on the gaming tables. Moving onward, they entered the rec room, sassed a number of impertinent youngling mechs sitting around then entered Ops Center.
Hot Rod grinned as he watched them enter the big command center. "I like Ratchet. He's not afraid of anyone."
"He frags Ironhide on a regular basis," Jolt said with a wicked grin. "You get over the small stuff."
Roddy snorted. "I could have done without that image."
"You and me both. Deal," Blur said with a chuckle.
Jolt did. Hot Rod won. Blur bitched. It was perfect.
-0-At the center table
They sat down and looked at Barron who was there talking to Prime. He grinned and nodded back. "You're just in time."
"They need us. They truly need us," Ratchet said with a grin. "What's up?"
"I want to have the brig rats released to the prison. They can have a change of scenery," Barron said.
"Which ones?" Prowl asked settling the infant into a box bed on the tabletop.
"Blind Spot, Turmoil and the other three. If Barricade and Scorponok checked in for the night outside, they might free up brig space for others."
"Anyone in particular due shortly?" Prowl asked Barron.
"We have an enemy army nearby. That might require more segregated housing at some point," Barron said.
"I agree," Prime said nodding. "We have to plan for future additions to the prison population. Keep Retro where he is. I don't want anything happening to him. I got the oaths of the fifteen that were in the prison this morning. They're being handled by the former 'Con association."
"Smart move for them to organize a bit. They can help us with assimilation and the newbies will have more familiar mechs to come to with problems," Ratchet said.
Prowl nodded. "I think this is a good idea, Barron."
"Thank you, Prowl." He glanced at Prime. "We need to schedule preliminary hearings for the Senators and Sentinel. Then there's the problem with Retro as well as a convocation."
Prime nodded. "Please submit requests to Prowl. Conditions permitting, we will begin to settle cases."
"Thank you, Optimus," Barron said. "Now I have a request for you to consider." He looked at the doorway. Standing there was a little femme with a portfolio in her little servos. Barron gestured and she came quickly to the table stopping beside Prime. "This is Sadee, our little tagger. She has a proposal for you, sir."
Prime grinned and nodded. "I have seen your work on the walls of the city. Impressive skill, poor choice of canvas."
She cringed slightly. "I know. I'm sorry." She looked up at him hopefully. "I would like to make a proposal. I would like to show my paintings in a gallery in New York City. Please."
Prime glanced at Prowl who smirked slightly. "What work, Sadee?"
She laid her portfolio on the floor and opened it pulling work out to lay on the table. The first was a charcoal sketch of Sunstreaker. It caught his dangerous beauty to a ridiculous degree. The next three were images of the city in pastels. The last was a group image of Praxus, Kaon, Miracle, Orion, and Bleu. They were bending over a pile of little cars chatting and discussing something among themselves. They were a fully colored image with great detail and a lot of life to the figures.
She looked at him with great hope on her pretty face. Prime looked at the pictures passing them to the others. Ratchet looked at the eager little femme. "This is a great image of Sunstreaker, Sadee."
She smiled with great delight. "He's my mentor. Mr. Semi and Judge Barron helped me get into the artists guild and make him my mentor. He's awesome."
They all grinned. "You want a showing of your art in a New York gallery. Which one, sparkling?" Prime asked gently.
"The Metropolitan Museum of Art," she said with all the hope and belief that only a youngling could manage who had never been quashed by reality.
Several adults made a swift search of the internet, then looked at her with amusement. "Nothing like starting at the top," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
"Have the guild make a proposal, Sadee. We can have our human representative make some inquiries. I won't promise anything but we will take your request under advisement."
She looked at him with enough joy on her little face to power Trypticon for a decaorn. "Thank you!" she said hugging him. Gathering her work, she started for the door. Pausing to look back, her face filled bright with the possibilities, she nodded. "I will keep painting. Thank you, sir."
Prime grinned and nodded back. "Keep working, Sadee. You have real talent."
She smiled again hurrying out with her bulging portfolio. They stared after her a moment, then each other.
"Ah, youth," Ratchet said. "To be that sweet and clueless."
"I hear ya," Prowl said smirking. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Don't anyone tell her."
"My lips are sealed," Ratchet said.
"That will be a first," a voice behind them said. Ratchet looked up at Ironhide and his mini-me daughter lounging on her old pa's arm.
"Ha-ha, Ironhide," Ratchet said relieving him of his daughter. Settling her, he grinned at Ironhide. "He laughs best who laughs last."
"Slag that," Ironhide said sitting down. "Slagger. Stole my sparkling. You'd think Prowl would lend one of his several dozen."
"They're all mine," Prowl said in a low slightly dangerous sounding voice. "All. Mine."
He meant it.
-0-TBC 2012 (10) edited 8-16-18