The Diego Diaries: Festivale 2 (381)
-0-CMO's Office, Autobot City, Mars
Ratchet sat back in his chair as he watched Mearing and Simmons buzz further into the room. They headed toward the far windows and paused. :Nice view: Simmons said as he turned the device to look at the two bots.
:I rather like it: Ratchet said.
:Reminds me of us. I wondered what your life was like: Simmons said. :You live in houses a lot like us. I was expecting garages and hangars:
:You need to get out more: Ratchet replied as Ironhide stared at them with irritation.
:I guess so. We want to look around the city: Simmons said. :Or at least some of us do:
Mearing glanced at Simmons with a sour expression. :Tell me about all of this. I want to know more:
:All of what? My office? What I do?: Ratchet answered. Mearing nodded. :This is my office, the office of the Chief Medical Officer of both the Armed Forces and of Mars. I work here in the top of the tower and all that is medically related starts and ends here:
:You have a medical program here too to train personnel: Simmons said.
:We have a university program for medical personnel: Ratchet said. :Our university is comprehensive across the professions:
:What do you do?: Mearing asked Ironhide. :I am aware that you are a soldier. What is your title or position?:
Ironhide looked at her with an expression Ratchet filed for later. He looked at Ratchet, then the two humans who stood on their vehicle staring up at him expectantly. Ratchet watched the insult and outrage compound in Ironhide's processor, then leaned forward to stare at the humans. :Ironhide is the King of Kaboom. He's the Master of the Autobot Armed Forces. His brief is everything military and defense including the armories, weapons hubs and munitions:
They listened to Ratchet, then looked at Ironhide. :That's pretty awesome: Simmons said.
Ironhide popped more candy into his mouth. Ratchet grinned.
-0-Elsewhere a bit later
The twins sat on the bench and watched the funny folk go by. "How do you feel, Sideswipe?" Sunstreaker asked.
"I'm fine." Sideswipe nodded to someone going past, then leaned back against the bench. Humans, bots and an occasional Hu An walked past heading for wherever they were going. "Practice is tonight."
Sunstreaker nodded. "I know."
"The game is going to be tough," Sideswipe said.
Sunstreaker nodded. "We have to be in sync."
"We are," Sideswipe replied with a grin. "Semper fi, brother."
Sunstreaker nodded, then both looked down. A segway buzzed to a stop and it carried Simmons and Mearing. They stared at each other, then Simmons spoke. :Are you the twins? The football players?:
They both nodded.
:Oh. We're looking for the road to Phobos. The signs … they aren't in English. Cybertronian … that's what they are," Simmons said.
The twins glanced at each other, then Sideswipe pointed down the road.
:Thanks: Simmons said as they sped off swiftly.
The two watched them go, then Sunstreaker glanced at Sideswipe. "That isn't the right direction to Phobos."
Sideswipe grinned. "I know."
-0-Ironhide
After eating nearly everything that Ratchet had in his candy stash, Ironhide rose and stretched. "I have to wander and reconnoiter."
"Reconnoiter what?" Ratchet asked.
"Prowl," Ironhide answered as he walked out the door. Ratchet waited, then the big black face of his personal squeeze toy peered back inside. "Don't let him know."
Ratchet grinned. When Ironhide was gone for good, he did.
-0-Out there
They drove on and on heading to the main highway that led to the Industrial Park. Not being given express directions, they passed all of the turn offs heading for the boonies. They drove on the shoulder of the road as they made their way, big trucks, possibly sentient lumbering back and forth as they went about the business of business. It would be a long drive to the 'city' of Phobos and it would look like the huge industrial city that supported life on Mars when they got there.
-0-At Club Cybertron
Barricade sat at his table nursing a high grade. He was waiting as was Shield for any news about being allowed to wander around with the other trustees. He had hopes but he never looked for the good. It seldom came. Shield would be awesome company. He found himself missing that having only Scorponok and Sideways for company. Sideways was a punching bag for most of them now that he had lost his privileges and got returned to prison. His companionship factor was zero.
Mechs came in, some of them laughing, all of the off duty Night Watch among them. They were going to be coming on duty and all of them knew who he was but ignored him. Nearby, a group of younglings were having lunch, talking animatedly, having a good time. Lots of kids came in during the day and night.
Night.
Most of the time he was in the prison at night. It intrigued him what the possibilities were for evening. He would probably never know at this rate. He knew about Cyclonus and Paragon. He knew that three other big groups were looking for a good place to settle out there. The word was that they would be pirates marauding the area. Maybe things might be interesting with their presence.
News always slipped out. It made its way into the population and once it was sheared of the fanciful stuff, there was good intell inside the husk remaining. More mechs came in including Springer and Drift. He considered as he sat which one he hated more and found himself stymied. One was as good as the other he thought as he sipped his drink. All of them were afts.
The afternoon dragged on slowly.
-0-Alor
He walked into the Mall at Metroplex with the tiny bundle of Prowler on his arm. Flint was off with Blackjack doing something or the other in preparation for the festival, game and fireworks shortly. He himself was planning his part of the buffet and decided to make some traditional dishes that his family always served on the holy orns. They were very tasty but simple, decorative and highly anticipated by their sonny boy. Ironhide loved his ada's food pastes.
They were a special blend of different types of flavored energon mixed together with additives. Then Alor would form them into traditional shapes, put them on replicas of the traditional plates and bring them to Ratchet and Ironhide's bigger apartment for after fireworks snacking and drinking.
He walked through the mob of shoppers and entered the grocery store. Walking through the enormous displays and selections of food, he picked up a small hand basket and began to search in the Cybertronian food section for the containers and tubes that he needed. When his basket was filled, he walked to the checkers and stood in line.
Others admired the infant and he basked in the joy of being the grandgenitor, something he never thought he would be able to do. When they took his basket, they packed it in a box and he slid it into his hold. Thanking the smiling younglings, he turned and walked out with food items and a couple of large bottles of special high grade that had just now become available to the city. It was a high caste vintage that was being revived.
He walked out of the store and directly to The Sparkling Center. There were things to explore and toys to peruse. It was the duty of every grandada in existence to spoil the sparklings. He wasn't going to be the exception.
-0-Out there
:Where the hell are we?: Seymour Simmons asked no one in particular as they came up on the Industrial Park of Mars. :Those twins sent us on a wild goose chase:
:You can't trust them: Mearing said shaking her head. :Those two are maniacs:
:You would know: Simmons said turning the segway around. They bitched at each other all the way back to the city.
-0-Later
They tooled in weaving their way back and forth through the forest of legs that greeted them wherever they went. They buzzed along Metroplex Highway 1 and saw the dome of the Sciences Habitat. Turning that way, they found themselves buzzing along the low stone wall of a large alien building. Reaching the entrance they paused a moment, then tooled inside.
Looking up at the enormous building, a structure of great beauty, Seymour Simmons and Charlotte Mearing headed for the Temple of Primus in the Temple compound at Autobot City.
-0-At the schools
Sunspot sat at his table, his servos folded in front of himself. He was uneasy but bore up as best he could. A human was there talking about Earth and the science program that they were part of on Mars. Everyone around him was watching with great curiosity, their interest sparked by the similar height between them and the humans. Adults that were their size … adults that weren't robotic or micro-mini con … that was intriguing.
Spot got up from the window where he lay in a pile of three other service dogs and one cat and walked to Sunspot. Sitting, putting his helm on Sunspot's lap, he helped his boy get through the interactions with the humans. Sunspot would be eternally grateful for it too.
-0-Orion
He finally got back on his even keel and found himself in dance class. He stood in the circle of his little group holding servos. Grinning gigantically, he waited for Laret or LA-LA! as she was known to show them what to do. They were practicing something that they would do later for the city.
The music began and so did Laret. Taking the servos of two infants so that she could join the dancing, Laret began. "The little sparklings go round and round," she began as she moved to the side. Most of them went with her the first time. For others … it would take a bit longer.
-0-Praxus
"Dog."
"DOG!"
"Puppy."
"PUPPLE!"
Roto grinned and tried again. "Puppy."
"PLOPPY!" (Ginormous grin and low fat chuckle)
"You are your brother's brother," Roto said with a chuckle. "I clearly remember this from way back when."
Praxus clapped his servos and grinned. "PUPPY!"
Roto blinked, then grinned. Holding up another picture, he began again. "House."
"LOUSE!"
It was Roto's turn to laugh.
-0-Uraya and Iacon
They stood by the table watching as the aide showed them what they wanted the tots to do. She was stringing beads on a piece of string at random. The infants watched with very serious expressions, then smiled. "I go me?" Uraya asked pointing at the beads. "Fun."
Iacon nodded, then picked up a square bead. Her aide smiled and handed a string to the infant. It would take a while but she would get one strung. Uraya would have less luck.
-0-Praxus
He ran screaming around the playground as his group had a moment outside. He was being chased by his friends, a pair of sweet little mechs who were the much cherished infants of pilots. Looking over his shoulder, laughing loudly, his wings flapping madly, he didn't see the legs of his teacher and ran into them abruptly. Lying on the ground, his little bell rung, Praxus counted the birdies as they flew around his helm.
It would only be a temporary setback.
-0-Diego Garcia, Earth
John Fulton walked off the ship and headed to the hummer that would take him to the Administration Building. He would catch up on business, make calls to his wife and prepare for the Festival. It would come up shortly along with a football game, fireworks and parties. They would come as families and stay for the duration. They would remain hooked into the situation here on Earth while abroad 'consulting' with the allies on site.
The trip to Autobot City would be made by space bridges. The bots had begun to establish them in different places within the solar system to expedite travel. One would be installed today and fine tuned inside the Embassy. It was a small ship size device designed to be pedestrian in nature. During the rebuild, they had excavated the space below ground for it and by the time the families would be arriving to go from around the States and the United Kingdom, they would be go.
Everyone of the soldier family group would go to the Embassy and be shifted by space bridge to Luna Base. The bigger bridge there would send them to Mars. They would arrive in a station built into a military airfield hangar and go to the tower habitat to live. It would take in all about two minutes.
It would be epic.
-0-Fort Drum, New York, Earth at the same time
They waited in a hangar for the landing of an Autobot ship that would take them to Mars. They had very little to say to each other. Sam Witwicky had his briefcase and bag. Mikaela had her own. Walking toward them in haste was Warren Roberts and his wife. They paused and smiled. "Hello, Mikaela. I'm so glad you can come," Judy Roberts said with a smile.
"I am too. I have an office in the habitat. In a week, I am going to be living there full time," she said.
"We will be sending Sam there more often to consult with Caro more directly. They have also appointed a new legal consultant who will be important to the process, a mech named Fenix," Warren said.
Sam nodded. "I've talked to him once already. Seems a little uptight but workable."
They chatted a while until an airman called to them. They turned and walked out heading for a battle shuttle that had landed for them. They boarded and it lifted off heading upward into the blue sky heading for Mars 45 minutes away from Earth.
-0-After school
Ironhide waited for his little mechs and it wasn't long. They came bounding out of their classroom deliriously happy to see him. He felt the same way but contained himself given his status as an all around wild aft chaos bringer. He hooked them up and they went out chattering together. A short ride to the Metroplex 1 subway stop was had and he carried them upward to the light. A short wait for Sunspot and Spot was had and they turned heading for the hospital tower.
They had reached their 'Friday' and now they had three off. All three of them would encompass the Festival of Primus.
It would be epic.
-0-TBC July 29, 2013
NOTE: I have been told that there is a new series of Transformers Prime that will debut on teevee next November that will focus on Cybertron and the bots after the recovering of Cybertron. Some of the characters might change but Barricade and Prowl are rumored. :D It will be more adult, more IDW and more bot centric. The budget is supposed to be triple that of now and there will be five Dinobots as well. :D That is what is out there. The only point nailed down is a new show is coming. :D