The Diego Diaries: Interlude 10: Five Orns Before Christmas Surprise
-0-Later that night
"How did this sparkling get sand in his keister?"
Ironhide looked up from his datapad 'Skype' with his Ada. "What?"
"This sparkling and that one there," Ratchet said pointing to Praxus who was building a small 'house' out of stone blocks Ironhide had been making on the side. They were all shapes, sizes and types of stone covered in glyphs added by his atar, just like the ones Blackjack had made for Ironhide at the same age. They were among the favorite toys of the infants. "They have sand in their armor."
"Roto told me," Ironhide said turning the datapad so that Alor could watch from his duty at Fort Apache. "They were playing in the sandbox."
"How are my perfect little babies?" Alor asked from the screen. Two little helms popped up looking around.
"ADA! WHERE HE!?" Orion asked as he hung upside down in Ratchet's servo.
Ratchet grinned handing Orion to Ironhide. "Enjoy."
The two sat together as Orion kissed the image on the pad and began to babble about his orn as Praxus toddled over to join him. Ratchet grinned and walked outside stepping in next door. "What's up?" he asked.
Ravie looked up from his datapad and smiled. "Ratchet."
Ratchet kissed his ada's helm and sat looking at the datapad. "What are you doing here, Ada?"
Tie Down who was sitting on the couch grinned. "We're making toys for the babies."
"Ah," Ratchet said. "Just like you did for me from scrap metal."
"We did. We didn't have anything much but we did make you tool kits and little vehicles. You always were a clever little mech, son and so good with your little toys. You shared so well."
"Came from good stock," Ratchet said with a grin. "We are having a big party for Christmas Surprise at our apartment and everyone is invited. We are having the family over before to eat and all kinds of folks coming for drinks and finger food later. Rampage is catering that part. I don't want to do more than say hello and hand out hooch."
"Sounds like fun," Ravel said glancing at Tie Down. "Doesn't that sound like fun, Tie?"
They both grinned at Ravel.
-0-At IntraComm
Blaster took his dinner and sat on a box nearby eating, Revet and 'Vette joining him. Construction was well underway as they worked to make the set of the greatest production they would undertake at the facility. They sat chatting together, all of them watching as the shifts of workers did their magic.
-0-At Club Cybertron
Jazz and Mirage ate their dinner and sipped their drinks as they unwound from a long orn. Mirage had just returned from duty on Io and would be off for three orns before rotating into the regular shift. They had plans to attend several parties on Christmas Surprise night. It was going to be glorious.
-0-At the teacher meeting at the schools
"And so we will be having the program presentations at the air field just like before. All of the classes will come out together in lines taking their places on the tarmac. The Night Watch will hold a nice space for us up front so that we can have easy access to the stage. The program is on your datapads." They all looked at them as Herling continued. "We will come out and line up. Optimus will introduce us and say a few words to the newbies. Then I will come and speak. When I'm through babbling, we will begin with the youngling plays, the stories from the older younglings, songs, then readings as before. When that is over, there will be a student explain what Christmas Surprise is for us and how it came about. We will then surprise the humans, especially the femmes who started this with a gift. Then there will be a concluding song by a youngling still to be chosen. At that point, Sciences will do fireworks. Everyone will leave and the parties will begin."
"The gifts from Santa Prime will be when and where given the number of younglings and infants we have now?" Roto asked glancing up from his notes.
"He and his 'elves' are coming to the classrooms. The Genitor-Teacher Committee has decided to provide treats and drinks to the classrooms for parties."
"Sunstreaker?" Roto asked with a grin.
"Is there any other?" Herling replied with a chuckle. "The dismissal will be for the weekend. All but the most necessary processes and businesses will be closed for families and individuals to enjoy the fun." He grinned. "I am getting to really love this holiday."
There wasn't one word of disagreement in the room.
-0-At the Residence of the Prime
Optimus lay on his stomach on the floor, four little mechs lying on each side. Before them was a big datapad with images. He was reading to his own three and Sunspot. "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. Not even a mouse."
Sitting nearby recording the moment, Prowl felt a peace he had searched for all his life. Watching them all, holding Miracle in his lap, Miler felt something he had never felt before. Absolute contentment. Venture who was making 'cookies' in the kitchen listened to the story with a great happiness. The room was darkened. Lights blinked and filled the space with beauty as the city and air field contributed their share.
It was a perfect moment he thought as he stirred a concoction that was Prowl's favorite as a child. Sometimes miracles really did happen.
-0-Around the city
"What are you doing, Payload? Do you need help?" Caro asked through the door of the little office in their apartment.
Payload paused, looking around for a place to hide his present. "No, Only One. I'll be out in a moment."
"Okay," Caro said turning and halting. He had a present he needed to hide and Payload was in the place where the best hidey-holes were. "I think we can take care of Mars's presents when you come out. He's in his crib."
Payload stowed his present and rose walking to the door. He opened it and stepped out with a grin. "This is going to be awesome. Where are they, Carie?"
His bond smiled and nodded to the kitchen where a number of children's toys were stacked on the table. Different colored shining bags were also there so they spent time looking at each toy and figuring out how it worked before stowing it in the bag it was best suited for. When that was done, they put them around the little Christmas Surprise tree that their son had gotten from the Sparkling Day School the year before. It was wonderful. They stood a while holding servos talking about their life and enjoying the lights on the windows as they sparkled.
-0-Elsewhere at the same time
They walked on their beat, the last one before the weekend chatting about this and that. It was relatively quiet unlike the two orn holiday called for Christmas Surprise was likely to become in five orns. The two orns would allow family time and they considered the number of inebriated younglings they would have to tow to the brig.
"This holiday is pretty and I like it. The younglings are so happy," Drift said with a grin.
"I like it too. Did you get me something?" Springer asked with a grin as he glanced at his bond.
"Maybe," Drift said. "Did you get me something?"
"Maybe," Springer said.
They walked along to the Tower District and the long leisurely stroll back to Metroplex District.
/... slag. I getter get him something.../ -both of them
The night would pass by with very few interruptions of the peace.
-0-Elsewhere at the same time
"How does this work?"
"You put things on it. They hang and look pretty. It already has lights."
"I see."
"You don't really do you?"
"Not really."
"Let me do it."
"Honestly, its pretty but it seems strange to decorate an organic plant with lights and baubles. I can see how its pretty for the younglings but its odd."
"Everything is odd for you, Dirge." Ramjet looked at him for a moment. "This bigger tree is for us."
"It dwarfs the infant's little tree."
"That one is a starter tree. This is the real thing," Ramjet said as he put a lighted ball on the top. It bent slightly over. They both looked at it.
"This is harder than it looks," Dirge said with the ghost of a smile.
Ramjet merely nodded.
-0-Elsewhere at the same time
They finished dinner and walked to the living room putting Fifi on the floor. They turned and began to decorate the apartment with their usual flair. They were legendary for their parties, their homes salons for the intelligentsia and power elites of Cybertron and beyond. Now they were preparing for an open house party that would have a greater range of individuals than they even knew existed before.
Neo and Laret would enjoy it more than any they ever held or participated in before. Gravitas, Eronus, Vraz, Templar, Alpha Trion, the priests and half the genitors of their school along with colleagues were among the honored guests.
It would be spectacular.
-0-Elsewhere at the same time
"This high?"
"I think so, Ada," Silverbow said as she gauged the material for a project that she was trying to make. Hound was holding it up as Trailbreaker sat nearby, Rebel standing beside the chair watching with big optics.
Silverbow was having a 'party' and needed to make a tent for her room that would resemble a pavilion. It would require a covering that looked like one she had seen in a book, extra tables and chairs for her girlfriends and boyfriends and special foods and drinks that she had ordered directly from Rampage.
"What can I do for you, Missy?" Rampage said as he knelt down. The little femme had come to The Energon Basket to work on the food part of her little soiree.
Silverbow looked at him with big optics. He was a famous cook and she was going to be able to get her stuff from him. Her genitors had said they would help her. She stood clutching her list staring up at him shyly. Her protoform wasting was in full arrest. Now it would be treated differently. Accelerated supplements would be eased into her diet and they would stimulate the structure of her internal exoskeleton to replace anything that was too thin, depleted or missing. She was still figuratively too thin, her legs and arms showing it the most but she was rallying much to the almost too intense relief of her genitors. "I'm having a party," she said warming to the idea as she spoke. "I am having a real tent in my house," she said with a smile.
Rampage grinned glancing up at Hound and Trailbreaker. "Then the food and drinks had better be awesome." They worked together a moment making and refining the order.
The food and drink would be awesome.
-0-On the air field at the same time
A huge area had been cleared, all of the boxes and parked vehicles moved for the duration. Workers from the Construction and Electrician's unions were there building a platform for the school programs that would be able to be seen by tens and even hundreds of thousands of individuals. There were monitors being wired to be rolled out around the edges of the audience area. They would carry the broadcast. IntraComm would coordinate the sound and images. They would also record the entire event.
Standing nearby on their segways, scientists, filmmakers and soldiers watched.
:This is absolutely amazing: Sheila Conroy said shaking her head. :This is what is called cultural contamination or cross pollination. I consider it the best kind:
:What you said: Leonora said with a smile. :I can't wait for Christmas. Santa Prime:
Epps grinned. :You and the rest of us. I hear that Ironhide and Jazz are going to be elves again this year:
It was silent among the group as they savored that bit of sublime news.
-0-Elsewhere at the same time
They gathered on the air field at Diego Garcia. All of them were finally at the same place waiting for Silverbolt to land and take them to Christmas with friends on the next planet over. Lonnie Epps and the kids, Sarah Lennox and Annabelle, Linda Graham and Barbara Morshower stood talking together, their face masks hanging from their belts. The General, Colonel and Mrs Fulton along with Warren Roberts and his staff were walking toward them from the Administration Building. As they did, the beloved army and air force femmes ran from the Embassy with gear in hand. They would all converge together and board Silverbolt for the short ride to another world altogether.
Another world in more ways than one.
As they did, forces in politics, forces in terror and forces for unity continued to work their way forward. But that was for another day altogether.
=0=TBC
2012 (12)