The Diego Diaries: Here we go. (dd3 301)

-0-Later that night

The apartment was full of mechs who sat around the living room and the dinner table talking as a card game was going strong. A huge dog was sprawled by the window, himself the subject of much admiration. At the game, Smokescreen was winning as usual although the twins weren't doing too badly. Sunstreaker leaned back regarding his cards and the gambler. "How come you never told anyone you were bonded and had a family?"

Smokescreen glanced over his cards at Sunstreaker for a moment. "No one ever asked."

Scorn met that comment. Then Bluestreak turned from the counter where he was putting more snacks on trays to look at him. "Who is your bond? Anyone we know?"

He considered that, then grinned. "I'm sure you do."

"I hear he's going to kick your aft when he gets here," Sideswipe said with a wolfish grin. "You deserve it, too."

Smokescreen snorted. "I probably do."

"Your grandson is a real cute mech," Bluestreak said leaning against the counter. "He's a good kid I'm told."

"He's the best," Smokescreen said. "I love that kid."

"What about your son?" Sideswipe asked.

"My son is a good kid. Sort of took another path than both of us but he raised a good mech with Smokey."

"He looks a lot like you," Sunstreaker said.

:He does. That surprised me when I first saw him," Smokescreen said with a glance at the pot. He anted up. "My son is very forgiving. His bond is more hardcore. He's a good mech, my son."

"You haven't told us who your bond is, Smokescreen," Bluestreak repeated with a grin.

He glanced at Bluestreak with his own. "My bond is Devcon."

It was totally silent for a moment.

-0-At the bosom of love

"The United Nations speeches are going to be huge," Ratchet said handing Ironhide a drink. He sat himself, relaxing in his chair as the monitor played before them with the sound turned down. "Are you going?"

"I don't know. All I'm aware of as confirmed is Prime and Rainmaker," Ironhide said sipping his high grade. "I'm really impressed with Rainmaker."

"I know. He was a smart guy trying to uplift his people. Prime liked him and always counted it as a failure that he went with Megatron. A personal failure," Ratchet replied.

"Well, he's here now," Ironhide said. "Unlike our younglings."

"Are you going to whine about your genitors having the infants overnight? The babies love it." Ratchet grinned. "Besides, you have Orion and Praxus."

They glanced down the hall listening to the happy sounds of play in Praxus's berth room. They were down three younglings and a big dog. It felt odd.

"I do. They need a scrub. I suppose I can do that tomorrow. Weekend," Ironhide said as Ratchet rose to get a snack. He brought it back and put the snack plate on the end table between their chairs.

"There's always tomorrow, Ironhide," Ratchet said with a grin. They sat together eating a candy confection called 'fudge' and sipping high grade as IntraComm played a series of rugby games from Europe.

It was heavenly.

-0-Maccadam's Old Oil House

He walked in and glanced around looking for anyone he knew. He didn't recognize anyone so he walked to the bar and waited. The bartender took his order and returned with a brew popular in Vos among the working class.

"Are you new?" the bartender asked.

"Just got in," Smokescreen aka Smokey said with a grin.

"Welcome," the bartender said. They would talk together for a while. Then Smokey would go out and hunt for his grandfather.

-0-Trine

"Devcon … the Devcon?" -everyone

Smokescreen grinned. "What better bond for a gambler than a bounty hunter?"

Bluestreak considered that. "You met in a bar I suppose," he said with a grin.

"You read my processor," Smokescreen said. "Are you going to ante up or what?"

The others did.

-0-Aerie Hill

He stood on the verandah watching the running lights of Seekers coming and going off the balconies of their own apartments and the ground below. He had a large apartment at the top of the huge housing project, one with floor to ceiling windows and enormous rooms. His sons and their families lived nearby, his two bonds sharing this space with him. One of them was resting, the journey still taking its toll on them. The other was inside watching The Hourly News.

A tour of the facility had been astounding, the possibilities for their people vast and unlimited. The amenities here were forbidden on Cybertron. There were doctors and other professionals, businesses for Seekers by Seekers and public facilities for families. The central open places were carefully groomed and designed for recreation for the community.

The meeting with the humans had been interesting and the visit to their embassy on Earth intriguing. They had started there, moving to the world they inhabited now, expanding the potential to save their people dynamically. Footsteps behind him caught him in his reverie as one of his bonds stepped out to pause beside him.

"The night is beautiful, Rain," he said.

Rainmaker nodded. "This place is beautiful. I'm deeply impressed and amazed though I shouldn't be. Prime is The One."

His bond nodded. "I think so, too." They stood together companionably, then his bond looked at him. "Poor Starscream. He's really suffered. Skywarp told me that he worried that Megatron would come for him no matter what."

"He probably is right. But Megatron won't get close. I sent the messages out through the relays to the ends of the universe. I expect all of our people to come."

"I hope so," Vio said. He grinned. "It's going to be wonderful, that moment when Megatron sees what has been wrought and fully understands the forces against him."

Rainmaker grinned. glancing at his bond with affection. "I'd love to be there to see it," he said. "By the way, I have to go to the Temple tomorrow. I want to see Alpha Trion. It has been a long time."

"I know," Vio said nodding. "We'll go with you. I want to see the relics. Only Prime could get them all back."

Rainmaker nodded. "This place is blessed."

Vio nodded as they stood together quietly talking as the evening wore onward

-0-At the Hu An Habitat

They stood in the enormous open space and considered what the plantings would encompass in this, the first step at terraforming the habitat for their well being. A plan was made, the ground prepared, textured and laid with elements that would keep the temperature at a level that would be conducive to plantings.

Larc turned slowly, his gaze appraising. :This is well done. We can bring the first plantings out of the greenhouses tomorrow. The oxygen levels are enough for us to start this terraforming:

Her lieutenants nodded then walked to the greenhouses nearby. They were filled with plants in various stages of growth, all of them genetically engineered from stock brought from Earth. Not only were they adapted to their own needs, but they were adapted to grow here. It was their habit of adapting plants on the planets where they lived for their own uses.

The towering habitation nearby glittered with lights as the night deepened. The lights of the airfield nearby were softly golden in the distance, adding a sense of contentment to the aliens inside the huge domed habitat. The lights to the southeast nearby, those from the prison were less interesting.

-0-On the beat

"You know … we could've delegated this shift," Drift said as they walked from the Polyhex Business Plaza. It was almost balmy, a mere -22 and they saw the stars overhead in the velvety darkness of the sky. It was getting to be home, that sky.

"Where would be the fun of that?" Springer asked. "You know that the first night of weekend is always the most fun."

"True, that," Drift said as they stepped around a passel of micro mini-cons on their way to somewhere. They continued onward to the park and their never ending hide and seek with the subadult mechs and femmes that liked to cut a wide swath.

-0-Earth

They sat together playing cards in the house that had been provided for them by their billionaire benefactor. Jim Johnson, Sam Hedges, along with Lawrence Dobbs, Tim Bolton and Carlos Ortega, three mercs from the old days passed the time together. They were part of the MECH offensive being launched against the Autobots and their allies. They were darlings on the talk circuit and ran websites that spread the word.

Johnson and Hedges had been served regarding their breach of confidentiality by the Defense Department. A group of conservative lawyers funded by their benefactor had taken over. They merely had to lay low and behave. Sitting in a beautiful cabin in the mountains around Lake Tahoe, they did. In a week, they would go on the offensive, meeting the rumored United Nations speech of Optimus Prime head on. They were looking forward to it with relish.

-0-On the street

He stood under a street lamp looking around himself. The city was overwhelming and he was basically lost. Drift and Springer who were cutting across the park spotted him, then turned his way. When they reached him, the gaggle of younglings they were tracking could be seen nearby heading for the dark side of the housing towers across the way.

"Hi. You look lost," Springer said.

The youngling looked at him and smiled. "I think I am. I'm looking for my grandatar."

"There they go," Drift said nodding to the younglings as they drifted into the darkness and disappeared.

"We're tracking kids," Springer said. "Care to join us?"

Smokescreen aka Smokey glanced at their tattoos noting they were Night Watch officials among other things. He grinned. "You bet."

With that, the three continued onward in the direction of their quarry, elusive younglings with a 'tude and a set of spray cans.

-0-Elsewhere

He stared at the sky, a place he had spent most of his life exploring. Now he was land locked and it was awful. He was clear that he would never get off this place again. Only Megatron would be able to change that bleak outlook. Prime would never have a place for him nor would he let him go.

Sentinel Prime walked to the chair where he spent much of his evenings. He liked to be out when the sky was dark. He liked the quieter portion of his orn and he preferred to spend as little time with the others as possible.

He had watched the news and knew what the city was doing based on their reporting. It was very open and servos on. The city was laid bare and it seemed that nothing was hidden. That was a change from Cybertron when only what he wanted said was told to anyone.

Prime was a lot harder, stronger and more up on politics than he once was back in the early orns when they were adversaries. The populist agitator was smart, tough and more than equal to him as an opponent. He didn't completely despair. There was always the shifts and turns of fate and events. Anything could happen in the end. He merely had to be patient. Highrode, his attorney was working on his behalf and that part was covered. He would have to be vigilant and wait.

He was very good at waiting.

-0-At Substation #6

Smokey watched as the slightly tipsy subadults were booked into the jail. They were drunk, feisty and reasonably happy anyway. Drift and Springer walked out pausing with Smokey. "You were looking for your grandatar, right?" Springer asked.

The youngling nodded. "That's right. He's called Smokescreen."

They both looked at each other, then grinned. "You're Smokescreen and Dev's grandson."

He nodded. "I am," Smokey said. "Do you know my grandada?"

"I do," Drift said with a chuckle. "He used to hunt me."

Smokey grinned. "He's not a good one to slag off."

"No," Springer said. "Come with us. He's hanging out with the trine."

For a moment Smokey considered that, then followed. "Who's the trine?" he asked.

"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Bluestreak," Drift replied as they walked down the sidewalk toward the Mare Tranquilitatis.

"The twins?! The jet judo twins!?" he asked with surprise.

"Yep," Springer replied with a grin.

"Oh wow. That's just … that's going to be amazing! I studied everything I could find on them!"

They walked onward, two mellow veterans and one intensely excited youngling heading to the apartment in the Praxus Tower where the trine lived with their dog, Dawg. It was going to be an awesome evening.

-0-TBC 05-12-13 edited 8-5-18