The Diego Diaries: Santa Ho-Ho 4
-0-Outside the school tower
Ratchet waited with the genitors as Ironhide herded the infants inside. Orion and Praxus were actually in the program. When he returned, they walked with the rest of the city toward the air field where the schools would present their students and all their many fine efforts for everyone to see. They reached the viewing area and found a space up front, waiting for Prime and his crew to arrive.
"Kaon is in the show," Sunstreaker said pausing as Bluestreak commed him. "I didn't know that."
"We didn't either. I guess its sort of a last minute thing," Ratchet said with a grin. "Lucky them."
The space began to fill up, hundreds then thousands of bots coming. Around the vast area enormous monitors were set up, all of them arranged so that everyone everywhere would have a great view. The sound system was amazing and the Arts department of the University was going to manage all of the technical effort including filming.
The entire thing was playing in Channel 2 of IntraComm so that those who didn't want to challenge the crowds could still see what was going on. Skeleton crews or mechanical systems ran things and even the die hard businesses were closed for the show and fireworks that followed.
The soldiers, their families, scientists and filmmakers sans equipment drove through the throngs to reach the platform that was constructed for them down front. The filmmakers would borrow approved sections of the program so they didn't have to work. That met with universal approval among that crew.
The sun was going down and the skies darkened as lights everywhere began to come on. There was beauty as they stood congenially chatting together, waiting for the younglings and babies who had come here to show the city what they had learned. When the sky was very dark, the stars bright above them, the infants began to come in lines led by their supervisors from the school tower to the air field.
The flashes of cameras, the applause by families and friends, the waves and happiness on both infant and genitor was a beautiful thing to see. The warmth of the moment was joyful. They stood waiting with enormous excitement to show the city what they could do.
Herling and Nova moved to the stage to inspect and organize the sets, props and access both up and down for all. The program of the event was sent at that moment through the internal comm system of all plus placed on the screens that went live at that moment. When that was accomplished, the scene changed to a pan of the crowd and a beautifully clear intimate shot of the stage.
Music began to play, a Christmas carol from Earth and the crowd began to settle and turn to watch from whatever vantage point they had, their view deliberately constructed to be without impediment. As they did, Herling moved to the front of the stage, a smile on his face as he began to open the show.
"Good evening, Autobot City, family, friends, interested mechs and femmes. Welcome to the third Christmas Surprise among our people and the Second Program for Christmas Surprise by the schools and students of Autobot City."
The applause was enormous.
"You will be seeing the effort and hard work of our lovely infants designed for tonight just for you. I wish I could tell you how proud we are of our students in all three schools. I am proud of our staff, our volunteers, our genitors who support us so greatly and the city and colony who understand how vital our mission is. This school system is for everyone. I am honored to be Director for Education on Mars."
Everyone clapped, called out and stamped their peds, the usual Cybertronian statements of approval.
"I would like to introduce our great leader, Optimus Prime for a few comments."
The place went fricking nuts.
-0-In the crowd
"Optimus looks good."
"I think so too but then I was the missus for a while there."
Drift grinned and gave Springer the elbow. Springer snorting, bent rubbing the spot. "Thanks. I needed that."
"I know," Drift said, his optics firmly on the stage.
They both grinned. It was all good.
-0-On the stage
"Thank you, Herling. I am so honored to be here to add my appreciation to the night's performance and the players. I would like to say to all the teachers, aides, volunteers and support staff how much I appreciate what you do. You are guarding and protecting our future and there is no payment in thanks that can uphold the debt we owe to you. Sir Isaac Newton, a scientist and thinker of enormous influence on Earth once said, "Teaching is the highest and most responsible office man can fill." I am in agreement. I congratulate the younglings and sparklings who are going to show us what they can do. You cannot be more loved than you are tonight. Thank you, Herling for the opportunity to say so." With that, he stepped down and the crowd went nuts.
-0-In the crowd
"Silverbow is going to be epic."
"I think so," Hound said shifting Rebel in his arms. "She has worked really hard on her speech."
"I can't wait to hear it," Trailbreaker said nodding.
"Me too," Hound said.
-0-On stage
The stage was silent a moment, then the oldest kids in the city including Rambler who was also a student there filed onto the platform. They took up stations around the stage, then began to sing. It was acapella at first and lovely, the young voices blending together well. A simple keyboard began to accompany them played by of all mechs Alor who had slipped away from the group unnoticed. He was sitting in the 'pit' where a number of instruments were awaiting players, adding the musical accompaniment of a song he had scored. The words were someone else's but the music his.
Ironhide nearly threw a rod.
:Your ada keeps secrets, Ironhide:
:I think you're right, Ratchet:
The voices were beautiful and when that song was over, two more came. Then they recited a long poem from Cybertron in Standard, each of them telling a part of it. When they finally finished and the laughter for the ending died down, they came to the edge and bowed, turning with waves of their servos to step down to the side where they all were waiting.
Herling stepped up. "The Youngling Intermediate School is our smallest in population but it is enormous in the talent of our students. Thank you, Youngling Intermediate School for the wonderful performance." He clapped. The crowd went ape shit. Especially their families.
He stepped down and several classes of younglings from the Day School began to line up. They carried datapads and were to tell for themselves what they learned, what they believed and/or loved about their city in the tradition of Christmas Surprise and its homage to gratitude. Silverbow was first. She stepped forward all business and looked at her datapad. It was fortunate that she did. The crowd would eventually be estimated at nearly 422,000 individuals.
"What I love about Mars. I love it because it is ours and here we live together in peace. All of my family is here, the family that didn't die in the war. Our Prime and army protect us. I don't like it when my ada or atar go on duty. Sometimes I think they might not come back just like my real ada and atar did. But I am a military brat so I guess I will get over it." She grinned to herself. "I love my school. I am reading very well but my mathematics is still not so great. My friends help me and I help them. I have a brother in the sparkling school. His name is Rebel and he is my best friend. I can't wait until he can talk."
A ripple of laughter floated through the crowd then died down again.
"I wish all of our people could come here to live. I wish they could be as happy as me. Today, I got a dollie for Christmas Surprise. I got it from Santa Prime," she said looking up to smile at Optimus who smiled back. "I don't want to have the sparklings hear this but I think Santa Prime is really Uncle Optimus."
The crowd roared with laughter. So did Optimus.
"I want to thank my ada and atar, my teacher, my school and my friends. I love you. Today, I have to count my blessings and I want you to know I love you. Thank you for all you do for me. I will do my best for you too." She looked up and turned walking back to the line. She joined it as the crowd roared its applause.
Several other students spoke including a youngling named Hartley. He was a micro-mini-con who had a lot to say. His earnest little face and his cute little yellow and black paint scheme reminded a lot of soldiers in the crowd of Bumblebee as a sparkling.
"My name is Hartley. I am the son of Dar and Ar, who are learning to be cooks. I like that they are. They make good things and I get to be their tester," he said as the crowd laughed. He grinned and waited for them. Then he continued. "I came here in the mini-con village guarded by Omega and Fortress Maximus. I love them for taking care of us. I got to be on Fort Max and he was so nice to me. I still make him pictures and go visit him. Everyone should. He's wonderful.
"I get to go to school here. My genitors want me to be a college graduate. I will try. What I really want to do is play football."
An awww thing washed through the crowd and they tuned in higher to the soft spoken little waif.
"I am a wing and I'm pretty fast. My coach is Blurr and he's awesome. He is so nice and he teaches me a lot. Our team is ahead in our league and our goalies, Spinner and Kip are part of the reason. We don't like to keep score. We don't want anyone to feel bad but that is the rules. If I can't be a football player when I grow up, I want to be a firefighter. I want to help our colony because I love it here. Thank you, Ada and Atar for helping me with my spelling. I hate it."
The crowd roared with laughter, then died down.
"I love this city and always will. Thank you, Optimus Prime and our army and the Seekers for making me feel safe at last." With that, he grinned and turned stepping back into the line up. The crowd howled their applause.
Spirit looked at T-Bar and the two stepped out walking to the front to speak. Looking at Prowl who looked back at them with an encouraging expression, the infants began.
"My name is Spirit."
"My name is T-Bar."
"We are the younglings of Optimus Prime and Prowl." -both
"I like to run and play football." -T-Bar
"I like to play with my friends and family." -Spirit
"We love our family and our city." -both
"When we came we were the first group. We came to Earth after here and were taken care of by our adopted genitors, Optimus Prime and Prowl. We love them." -both
"I couldn't talk. Our life was awful. My genitors loved me but they were killed by bad mechs and my brother, Rambler had to take care of us alone." -Spirit
A chill went through the crowd, a tension that wasn't there before.
"It was so hard and we were so scared but Rambler was brave and saved us. I miss my ada and atar some times but I know they are happy for us that we are here, have really good genitors and will be safe. I feel them around me sometimes and it always feels happy." -T-Bar
"I love my family and my brothers. I have a lot of family. I have grandgenitors, older brothers, cousins and nephews. I have twin nieces and they are so cute. We are happy here. I want to grow up to do something good for the colony and our people. I also want to be a football player." -Spirit
A chuckle rounded the crowd.
"We are happy and love our teacher, Mr. Terradive. He got bonded to Mr. Roto and we gave him a surprise party." -both
Terradive laughing, nodded. The crowd hurrahed him and Roto who stood grinning nearby. The little mechs watched them with a smile.
"I like to stand on the terrace of the apartment and look at the city. Its so big and everyone is here. I want more to come. They will. Our atar is going to make sure they do."-Spirit
"Until then, my family and I will do our best to help where we can. Thank you, Ada and Atar for all you do for us. We love you so much." -T-Bar
Prowl and Prime swallowed tears and nodded to both of the little mechs.
"Thank you, Autobot City for being here." -both.
With that, they stepped back and the crowd applauded madly.
A figure slipped out of the line up and walked forward with a grin. He paused and looked at his pad. "My name is Turbo and I like to run," he began.
The crowd smiled.
-0-TBC
2012 (12)