The Diego Diaries: Newbies 8 (330)
=0=Ops Center, Diego Garcia, Earth
They sat at their posts, three Home Guard newbies and one veteran running the show at Ground Zero, the Embassy hangars. They were part of the specialist division of the Home Guard that were training in communications and intell gathering. They were there under the direction of Blaster who had come over with them when it was clear that Revet could manage the news and Jazz the intell from ships and interviews. He came with the three youngling soldier-volunteers to show them how to manage on the home world of the humans.
"HEY BLASTER!"
He paused and looked at the ground grinning as he did. "Aisha. What's up?"
"Me if you don't mind," she said with a big grin.
Blaster reached down and gently raised her to the console where he sat working on the grid search for The Resistance. Reaching up, he put a lazy boy recliner on the console for her and she sat pushing back until the chair slid out letting her put her dogs up as they say. "This is the life." She grinned. "You know pictures are in order."
He snorted and supplied them, a long array of the family including his in-laws, all of them built around the wonder that was 'Vette and Revet.
"What a great looking family. I miss that sparkling. He's such a great mech. Roadie gets handsomer every time I see him. By the way ... we're all coming for the game," Aisha said. The others did their work watching her out of the corner of their optics. All of them had seen humans but had no practical interpersonal relationships with any. This was new all around.
The sound of a hummer was heard behind them and they looked down. A hummer filled with femmes and two mechs had crossed the room parking near Blaster's ped. Humans climbed out and shouted for pick up. Blaster complied and arrayed all along the console in easy chairs seven more humans to chat the day away.
It was a very strange learning experience.
For the Home Guardsmechs.
For the humans? Just another day on Diego Garcia.
-0-In the place where stuff happens
They sat on the table their legs hanging over the edge. Sitting in front of them with a gimlet optic piercing their very spark, Roto mused on his two pearls. He struggled to school his expression into the proper level of displeasure their antics had elicited. Being responsible was hard around hoodlums as funny as these two. He considered the luck of his life that he was their teacher. They were tiny, smart, hilarious and loveable. They were his for that portion of the orn required by law and he was the luckiest mech in the world because of it.
"You two are going to become the death of me."
Orion glanced at Han, then Roto. Leaning closer, his servos gripped in angst, he nodded. "TOTO? YOU OKAY?"
Roto snorted, then nodded. "Mostly."
Orion sat back regarding him a moment. "I love you, Toto. I good me you. You good me. We good."
Roto smirked. "Seeking a softer landing for your criminal tendencies by buttering up the judge?"
Orion considered that. "Toto good."
Roto leaned forward staring at Orion with a grin. "Orion good. Usually. I agree with you that Han should have 'cweamed' up his mess." He leaned into Han. "You made it. You clean it up. Thems the rules, youngling."
Han leaned back, then looked at Orion. He pointed at him. "Orion bad. He bad me. I am good."
Roto snorted and sat back with a huge grin. "Talk to me, babies," he said with great contentment.
And they did.
-0-Sideswipe
He helped remove a pile of trays to the dumbwaiter nearby that would take them to the sterilization room where they would be cleaned and replaced on trays for re-use. Tall cabinets that could be rolled out to the surgeries held dozens of basic implements for most things. Specialist cabinets were nearby for more complex operations. The computer system that kept track of everything could tell a doctor or tech where they were and direct that cabinet for use in seconds. It was streamlined and efficient, born of many a hectic retrieval.
Turning to walk back, he helped a little femme onto the table. In her arms was a terrified famished infant. Sideswipe looked at it, stroking its little helm. "You came to the right place," he said gently. "Do you want me to hold him while the doctors look at you? I have three myself."
She looked at him, then her son. Hesitantly, she held him out. Sideswipe took the baby and lay him against his armor. The infant tensed, then relaxed. Sideswipe swayed gently as Ratchet looked at the femme's arm. It had been injured in the getaway from their last landfall and needed an adjustment. A commotion in the doorway drew their attention as a young mech entered, his optics looking wildly about. "Rider!" she said with emotion.
The infant began to cry as the sound of his mother's distress pushed his last button. Rider paused beside Sideswipe to comfort his son. "It's alright, Trevi. I'm here."
Sideswipe gently transferred the baby to his atar and glanced at the femme who was crying too. "What happened to you three?" he asked.
"We were separated," Rider said nodding to his femme. "Silla and Trevi got away from me at the last landfall and we couldn't get back together until now. I was so afraid. I'm supposed to protect and care for them," he said as his resolve began to fall away. They were exhausted, starved and emotionally at the end of their rope. Rider walked to Silla and they hugged. Moving to lean against the medberth, he looked ready to fall on his face.
"Sideswipe, get some energon for this mech," Ratchet said as he finished a cursory scan. "Formula 1-R."
Sideswipe nodded and turned walking to a big unit nearby. Opening it, he pulled out a cube and turned. "What about the femme?"
"Let me finish here," Ratchet said turning back to her arm. "Then the same formulation."
Sideswipe nodded and pulled another before closing the door and walking back to the pair. Handing one to Rider, the youngster drank it down savoring the taste. "This is amazing. I think its been a while but this ... it tastes amazing."
"It's Class A," Sideswipe said.
The pair blinked at him, then glanced at each other. "I've never had any before," Rider said.
"Get used to it. You're standing on it now," Sideswipe said with a grin. Neither of the two said a word. The size of their optics said it all.
-0-Later
They stood in their apartment in city Site #1 and looked out the big windows of their new living room. They had been given a tour by their handler, shown the Community Bulletin Board and told about the agencies that were here for refugees to get them settled and integrated into the city. The place was extraordinary. Never in their mid caste lives had they had a home like this. A room for Trevi was across from their own, one that had a private wash rack. A kitchen was next to the living room and the sparkling brand new furnishings were deluxe to them. They were having been delivered just the night before in anticipation.
"Rider ... this is amazing," Silla said standing by the window next to the kitchen counter. "This is ours. We are so far up. Only high castes lived this high up on Cybertron."
"I know," Rider said moving to stand next to her. "The forty-second floor ... what a view. There's the Temple. We have to go there. The AllSpark is there."
Silla nodded. "I know. Wait until the family comes. They were in the back of the migration. We can help them."
He nodded. "How do you feel, Silla?"
"Better. My arm doesn't hurt."
"Good. I'm sorry I got separated. We had to hold off the acid monsters. I should have helped you and Trevi."
She turned and looked up at him. "You did the right thing. We got everyone away. They would have killed us all if you and the others hadn't been brave, Rider."
"It was awful. It goes against all I believe," Rider said. "Fighting got us into this mess. I hope it isn't the path out."
"Prime is wise, Rider," Silla said leaning against her bond. "Heatout said sometimes you have to do the hard thing in order to do the right one. That was a case in point."
Rider squeezed her shoulders. "Sideswipe said there are Missionaries here now. At least we won't be alone."
"No," Silla said as she glanced at her son. He had been fed the right formula for his condition and they had been given several big bottles of it for his next feedings. For a decaorn he would have this mixture then go back on his regular ones from mom and dad. They had to recover too. "I think he needs to go to bed."
Rider nodded and turned walking with Silla to the berth room of their son. Laying him down on the bed, they stood around his crib and talked quietly as outside the windows the rescue continued in the great glittering city beyond.
-0-Kup and Topspin
"Those are Decepticon ships. Did you let Ops Center know?" Kup asked as he peered at three big vessels flying in the midst of several civilian ships.
"I did," Topspin replied. "They're mapping them all over the migration. The Seeker data is being sorted and maps updated. They want us to keep visual on them until they have someone board and take control."
"Sounds good," Kup said champing on his stogie. "Not as much fun as slagging it out but acceptable."
Topspin grinned. "I'm glad you agree."
-0-Fenix
He walked among the crowds looking for things to do to help in the reclamation. He had a datapad in subspace that was culling the refugee intake for high castes. He had been building his organization, the Iacon Order and official approval of it as a social organization was pending their mission statement and plan. He and his friends were working on it and part of it was going to be prison outreach. Every organization on Cybertron had their 'good deed'. His wanted prison outreach. Prowl had snorted over that news when it reached him.
"They want to talk to the Senators and Sentinel," he had said to Optimus one night the decaorn before.
"They can. Good intell from that I can imagine. I want to see what they do," Optimus said as he dried Miracle off from his bath. "Maybe they can do prison outreach to Turmoil and Blindspot. It might be fun to make that part of the deal."
"I will make it so when I get their petition," Prowl said with a laugh.
Fenix paused in the mass of waiting mechs and femmes, all of whom were lined up to be processed through initial intake. He looked at a group of mechs who were standing patiently in line. Walking to them, he grinned. "Vin, you made it."
A big handsome bot with a brilliant red paint scheme turned and smiled back. "Fenix!"
They stood together talking, Fenix and the former governor of Tyger Pax, his friends and family. When they were ready to intake, they were led through the process by Fenix. He would show them their apartments in City Site #2 and join him and his group for dinner at the restaurant at the top of a tower in Terra. They would do a lot of catching up.
-0-The Hourly News -Latest Breaking News
"And in further news," Gen-O said as he turned from the reclamation to other things, "the names of the new hub cities have been chosen from the infant school competitions. Terra was named for Earth and our great allies, the humans who live there. The three new sites that radiate out from Terra were also a contest by our schools to have students choose names that the city population could vote for. I am authorized to announce the names and the students who proposed them now.
"Site #1 is going to be called Phobos for one of the two moons of Mars. It was suggested by Wheelaway, a first year student in the Youngling Intermediate School. Site #2 is going to be called Crystal City. It was suggested by Topper, a sparkling school student who likes Omega Supreme and wanted him to have another city to protect and I quote, "so he bees better"." Gen-O smiled, then continued. "Site #3 will be called Pax which is the human language Latin word for peace. The suggestion was made by Amble, a youngling day school student who also reminded this reporter that Pax was the name of the Prime before and I quote, "we got lucky enough for the Matrix to pick him". Congratulations to all who entered, thank you to all who voted and congratulations to the winners. When we get back from this break, we will go back to Intake at Triage Field. Now for news from the Community Bulletin Board."
The board filled the screen with its endless list of events, opportunities, amenities, group activities, sales, names of refugees and other important news. Rider and Silla sat and looked at it with overwhelming amazement and riveted optics.
So did Vin and his group.
-0-TBC June 11, 2013