The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 34 (Edited for boo-boos) :D

-0-Later that morning

"I think that was low of you to put the sparkling out there, Ratchet. They could have agreed with you."

"It's going to happen eventually, Ironhide. You know she needs school as well as the 'advantages'."

The glared at each other over the top of the kitchen table. The conferences had concluded and they were winding down from a morning filled with good news.

-0-At the Youngling Day School

"As you can see," Terradive said showing the extended family the data, "Sunspot has come up a great deal in his reading and writing. He writes conscientiously every day in his school journal and has a story written everyday for writing class. For a youngling who could only read a couple of words when he came into school, he is excelling tremendously. We have to keep working on it. This is hard work for him because the trauma and deprivation he's had has affected him over the course of his development."

"Will Sunny ever catch up?" Ravel asked anxiously. "We can help him. All of us are ready to help him if you tell us what to do."

Terradive smiled and nodded. "That is key to what he needs but some of it may never come. I have hopes it will but it may always be harder for him than others for doing some things. A lot of the refugee and war infants have the same problem. Not having the right care at the right time has been hard on them. But we always have hope and work hard together."

"We shall," Ravel said, his optics anxious. "He's learning about our business. He likes learning about everything. He told us that when he grows up he will help us make things. He does things now at the shop and he's such a lovely baby."

They all looked at Ravel. "He's a stand up youngling, our little Sunspot," Tie Down said nodding.

Ratchet squeezed his ada's servo. "We will always help Sunspot. We didn't take him on to turn him out someday if he wasn't ready. I don't care how long it takes, we are going to help him become the stellar adult Seeker he's meant to become."

Everyone nodded, then turned back to Terradive.

"I tried to keep Sunspot safe," Terradive said quietly. "All of us, the Seekers that were around him tried. Even Payload. But we got separated and I searched the world over to find him but he was always just out of reach. I used to have dreams about it, bad dreams."

"That was then," Ratchet said firmly. "We have him now and he's surrounded by safety and support. He has an outstanding teacher and who better to help him than the mech who was his friend so long?"

Everyone nodded and the mood lifted.

"We see that his math skills are stellar. He's beginning to handle formulas that help him do the math he needs to learn. Since he will fly, he needs to navigate and do that well. Red Wing is coming over to speak about that. He's going to be a bit late because of a family issue."

"His ward got arrested last night with those hoodlum younglings trying to get high grade from suckers," Ratchet said with a grin. "I would not want to be her after Semi and Red Wing have their say."

Terradive grinned. "Me either. As for Sunny, his academics are making their steady upward climb. He tests out in the language areas at just a hair below average and in mathematics and science at above. So he's just about perfect for where he needs to be."

"That's a good thing then," Alor said with relief. "That little mech works so hard."

"He does. He topped the room in badges earned this learning period even beating out T-Bar and Spirit. Silverbow and Spinner are even behind him. He just tries so hard and is so sweet, he earns them. He is a good example for others and just such a great helper. I think it comes partly from being in the adult world for a while. He actually understands being responsible and taking initiative better than some of the other children who have only been infants. Sunspot is my right servo mech. He's a loving, sweet, decent little mech."

Everyone nodded and smiled. "He's lovely," Ravel said just as the door opened. Red Wing stepped inside and nodded, a sheepish grin on his handsome face. "Sorry."

"Have a seat, Red," Ratchet said pulling up a chair. "Care to elaborate?" Ratchet asked with a grin.

Red Wing gave Ratchet a baleful look, then grinned in spite of himself. "Aurora got rounded up last night with younglings trying to get high grade. I was in Magistrate's Court this morning."

"How did that go?" Ironhide asked with a grin.

"They have to clean the vats at the microbrewery. They have to do it by servo and its hard work to do it to the exacting standards of the brew masters. They have to take the vats apart and clean them. Then they have to clean the brewery itself as well. This lasts for a decaorn. If they do this again, its brig time for a decaorn for the offense as well as a decaorn for contempt of court."

"Wow," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "That is a long tough sentence for kids."

"Can't be long enough. I have one sorry little femme on my servos. She is mortified that she broke a trust with me and the bond. She should be. I won't have this again. She's going to have to appear before the Elder Council and explain herself." Red Wing grinned. "I had to a couple of times myself as a youngling."

"So the story comes out," Ratchet said with a chuckle.

Red Wing snorted and grinned. "It does," he said. He looked at Terradive. "I suppose you want a progress report on our little mech's flying program."

Terradive nodded. "I saw him gliding the other orn. He looked good and was quite a ways off the ground."

"He was," Red said settling back to talk. "I uploaded the films into the database. Did you get them, Terri?"

"I did. Let me know when you want them to play and I'll start them," Terradive said.

Red Wing nodded. "Right now, we are working on pre-flight activities with Sunspot. He's pretty much mastered transforming into a simple fighter platform that we redesigned for him. He's actually right on the lower edge age wise for actual transformation. The flight model that he had in his databanks was too complex for a youngling so we modified it.

"What we are working on now is gliding and liftoff/landing procedures. He can transform into his new format rather swiftly and had been towed into the sky for gliding practice. We aren't allowing him to use any personal power to support his flight. He's still young and that requires a number of systems and calculations that are over his helm yet. That is why he was so terrible as a fighter in the 'Cons." He nodded to Terradive who keyed up the videos.

They were filmed at the airport out by Aerie Hill where Sunspot was taken twice a decaorn for lessons by the pilots there. There was always a crowd of Seekers who stood watching to offer support and comments as Red Wing and Silverclaw showed Sunspot what to do. He stood looking up as earnestly and cheerfully as ever listening to the masters teach him what he needed to know.

There were videos of Silverclaw's sons towing him, flying alongside the youngling to keep his horizon and help him should he falter. Red Wing described the techniques being taught, the youngling's efforts and the very cute images of a tiny yellow jet gliding up and down. His landings were nail biters but he accomplished them beautifully to his family's untrained optics.

There were images of Sunspot turning from a smiling little mech into a jet and back again. There were images of him doing barrel rolls as he glided through the air and bouncy landings when he had to come down.

It was glorious.

When the films were finished, Red Wing turned to the family. "We are going to step it up now. He's going to be gliding longer distances. We will be teaching him how to maneuver in a group. There will be safety measures at all times but we're going higher and we're flying closer. That will be the major focus of this next learning period. We also will begin to explain the basics of navigation to him."

"I can support that here in the classroom as well," Terradive said. "That is Sunny's biggest weak spot. But we can do this slowly. He doesn't have to navigate anywhere yet so we can go at his pace."

Red Wing nodded. "That's correct." He looked at the family. "Any questions?"

"Is he learning his heritage?" Ravel asked. "Sunny should know all the important things about being a Seeker. He's not living in his culture right now. He should know all the clan and family things for Seekers. Is he?"

Red Wing nodded. "The Elders are taking him into servo. Silverclaw and the others are telling him the things he should know and all that it means to be a Seeker. Sunny's clan is a big one, the Southern one near the Sonic Canyons and Krystagon. He has a lot of teachings that fit a lot of clans since most of them are offshoots of his own. We can all pretty much fill in the blanks for him as he ages."

"That's good to know," Blackjack said nodding. "Little mech needs to know all of who and what he is. He's had enough uncertainty in his life."

Red Wing nodded. "The Seekerkin are watching him and are very tuned into him and his needs. We are very happy with his development and progress. He's so happy and satisfied with his life, that its good enough for us. We don't usually let our infants remain in outsider's care but this one is the best placement for him. He's got it all."

"And he will," Ironhide said nodding. "Little mech is going to be a stupendous adult. He will never fight in a war ever."

Red Wing considered that and nodded. "He has had enough war. We have a lot of younglings now that never knew war. I don't think they're cut out for it and I fear they would die in numbers if they tried. Having the Home Guard Air Wing is as close as I want them to get. Sunny's plucky and volunteers to help but he can never be in a war. I would fear for him from the moment of lift off."

"You and all of us," Terradive said nodding. "I saw him in battle and I sometimes still have nightmares. He's a very good little mech and will be an asset to this city and our people in future in any number of ways."

They all nodded. Conversation continued, then Sunspot's work was produced and shared around. His handwriting was getting to be very good. All of it was exclaimed over and when everyone rose to leave, it was with a good sense of a very kind, very dedicated, very determined little mech on the rise.

Walking outside, they chatted some more, then headed out. Blackjack and Alor went to the Mall to shop for this and that. Tie Down and Ravel went back to the shop. Ratchet and Ironhide headed for home with their voluminous bounty minus a pair of servo prints in plaster that were going to be copied into stainless steel for the family.

Back in the bosom of love …

"You could have made them snag her, Ratchet. What the frag is wrong with your helm?" Ironhide asked as he sat his daughter down in her bouncy chair by the window. He gently arranged her sweater but took off her hat. Laying it with her blanket, he turned to do battle with his old mech. Ratchet on the other hand was taking images of the whole thing with his camera.

Grinning, he looked at Ironhide. "Did you get the gear for the little mechs and Sunspot from the Requisition Center?"

"No," Ironhide said pausing. "I forgot. You stay here with her and I'll get it. Don't call the school. Don't farm her out. She's still got a way to go before she meets the standard of school readiness."

Ratchet grinned. "Okay."

Ironhide shot Ratchet a nuclear optic, then headed for the door and the Requisition Center Pick Up Depot at the back of the Autobot City Business Plaza which had been rebuilt after the bombing.

Ratchet watched him go, then walked to his daughter and sat on the floor. She was looking at him with a gigantic smile, her booties and sweater comical in their cuteness. "Your old pa loves you. He reads the news from the school and Femme Center every orn to make sure he's doing right by all four of you. It is cold outside for infants. Putting you in gear will help you." Ratchet grinned and bounced the bumpy seat. "Your old pa is crazy about you. It will be a sad orn when you do have to go but I have to be the bad mech when that time comes. I'm actually glad he gets to keep you."

Ten minutes later …

He walked in with a box in servo, one marked with the stamps of Australia, the United States and Canada. Putting it on the table, he grinned at the two who were sitting on the floor by the window. "You should see what came, Ratchet."

"Do tell, Ironhide," Ratchet asked with a grin. He watched with pleasure as the big hulking demolisher of bad mechs opened the box and reached inside. Cute little hats came out, colorful with details added. "What are those?"

"This one," he said holding up a yellow one with spikes, "is a dinosaur hat. See the spikes on the top?" Ironhide held it up. "I got it for Sunspot. There is this one too. Its a dog. Those are for Sunspot. I also have a sweater coming that is being made to order because of his format. Its blue."

Ratchet nodded. "That might just do the trick in winter. He told me that when the wind blows he can feel it."

"He told me too," Ironhide said pausing. "I don't want him to feel badly about anything, Ratchet. If we have to carry him in a blanket to make sure he's warm and secure, I will do that."

"I know, Ironhide," Ratchet said with a grin. "You're that far along the parental awesome scale. What else did you get?"

He took the box and moved to where they both sat and joined them. Then they spent a few moments looking at the hats for Praxus and Orion that had openings for their finials. One was a fuzzy cat and the other was a cartoon mouse, one with big round ears that stood out nicely. Ironhide looked at it and grinned. "This one is for Orion."

"I can't wait to see them in them. I've noticed that there are younglings and infants wearing them around, at least the babies. When winter comes its going to be colorful around here."

"I think so too. We better be prepared," Ironhide said putting the little things back in the box. He looked at Ratchet and grinned. "If someone had ever said I would do this before the infants came, I would have punched them. Hard."

"I know. Who would have thought it?" Ratchet said with a grin.

"I know," Ironhide said glancing down at his daughter. She was chewing on her fist, then stopped and smiled at him. He felt his spark flutter. "I love the family, Ratchet. These infants and you, the genitors. Its all good."

Ratchet nodded. "I know."

"The infants did good. Those videos are great. Orion swimming makes me laugh."

"Most of what that little hellion does makes me laugh," Ratchet said with a grin.

Ironhide nodded. "We need about eight more before we're done."

"I'll put that in the day planner. What specific dates do you want to pencil in for your separations?" Ratchet asked with a smirk.

"Delusion suits you," Ironhide said with a chuckle.

"Tweet."

They looked down at the infant who had been trying to get their attention for a moment. Ironhide grinned. "Even Spud thinks you're insane."

"She does. Your bad influence I can see," Ratchet said with a grin. "I can see that the advantages you speak about include turning sparklings against their ada."

"Only when their ada is a slagger," Ironhide said squeezing Hero's little ped. She grinned.

They sat and talked, the city going about its business below and as they did the storm clouds on Earth continued to roll on.

-0-TBC

2013 (2)