The Diego Diaries: Festivale 5 (385) edited
-0-Later that night
"ADA!"
"What, Boo-Boo Bear?"
Orion paused a moment to smile gigantically at the name, then patted Ratchet's leg. Ratchet was standing at the kitchen counter arranging food on big trays. He and Ironhide had 'shopped' at the grocery store and retrieved their favorite foods, drinks and other items for the evening get together that would signal in the Festival of Primus which would begin at midnight this very eve.
Everyone was coming over including Prime and the fam so they were sparing nothing to make things swing. Sunspot was at Prime's house with Venture and Miler looking over the infants until the Prime and Prowl showed up. Apparently, a Decepticon group was located at the edge of their field of scrutiny heading their way, avoiding the two fortresses of Paragon and Cyclonus and the fallback base for Soundwave.
Ratchet looked down at his son and grinned. "What?"
Orion glistened from the bath he had just gotten and was first out of the gate from the usual chaos of getting cleaned up. Hero and Prowler along with Praxus were in the wash rack getting the once over before the twins came to detail them for the festivities the next orn. He smiled brilliantly up at Ratchet. "ADA! I PLAY THEM!"
Ratchet considered that, then nodded. "Good," he said unaware of who 'them' were but happy his son was happy.
"I PLAY THEM! THEY COME AND PLAY! WE PLAY!" Orion said, everything he had including his little blue optics twinkling like Christmas Surprise lights. "I SEE YOU!?" he asked.
Ratchet considered that remark, then nodded with a grin. "Sure. And I raise you ten."
Orion looked at him, then turned and began to run. He ran in a tight circle looking over his shoulder as he did. He then squeed loudly, laughing wildly as he re-enacted his playtime with the human kids. Ratchet watched entranced as the botlet ran in his little circle watching something chase him, something that made him deliriously happy. Ratchet grinned as he stood watching, the little black yellow banded sparkling showing his stuff madly. "That's pretty darned cute, Orion," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
Orion paused, then hopped a couple of times in his good tidings. "ADA!? THEY COME ME!? WE CAN PLAY ME!?"
Ratchet considered that, then glanced at the hallway where Ironhide was walking, Hero and Praxus in one servo, Prowler in the other. Prowler was sort of sitting up braced as he was against Ironhide's thumb. Ratchet took Praxus and Hero setting them on the ground. He then along with Ironhide turned to looked down at Orion.
"ATAR! YOU ME!? I GO PLAY?! I ME PLAY THEM?!"
Ratchet and Ironhide glanced at each other, then the botlet. "ATAR! YOU ME SEE!?"
Ironhide considered that, then nodded. "Okay. I think."
Orion then turned and began to run in a tight little circle once more staring over his shoulder as he laughed madly. It lasted until he turned once too many and fell on his face, dizzy and woozy from the running. He looked up at his genitors, then grinned. "I ow me."
They both laughed a long time after. Orion on the other servo got a cookie.
-0-Moments later
A knock on the door greeted a slight pause in the hoo-haw so Ratchet opened it. No one was outside.
Until he looked down.
A segway with Will Lennox on board was there. :Come on in: Ratchet stepped back as the segway buzzed inside.
:Hi, Ratchet, Ironhide: Will said as he turned and parked.
:Hi, William. What's up?: Ironhide asked as he sat in his chair, a cold one in his big servo. His favorite Praxian label 'beer' was among the most consumed high grade brands on Mars.
:I'm here about this afternoon: Lennox said. :Epps and I were sent here by our kids:
:Really?: Ratchet asked with a surprised tone. :What can we do for them:
:They had a great time this afternoon at the school playground: Lennox said before he was spotted by Orion who was following Praxus out of his own room into Sunspot's. He looked at Lennox, then squeed. Running swiftly, he tackled Lennox and the two tipped over ... the segway though remaining upright.
Ratchet and Ironhide stood a moment in surprise, then swiftly untangled the two from the floor. Lennox stood up and adjusted his face mask. Ratchet scanned him swiftly, then relaxed. :Your mask didn't shift, William. It never broke the seal. They're designed that way:
:I know. Just nervous habit: Lennox replied as all of them turned to look at Orion.
He was standing next to the segway smiling brilliantly. He turned to his genitors and pointed. "I HIM ME! WE PLAY!"
Ratchet finally got it. He looked at Lennox. :Did you play chase at the school with him?:
:Our kids did. That's why I'm here. They want to play some more: Lennox said as he rubbed his arm.
"Did he hurt you? He's heavier and denser than maybe you're used to even if he is a toddler: Ratchet asked with concern.
:No. I just … nothing. I'm fine: Lennox said with a chuckle. :I think he just wanted to hug:
:He is that sort of sparkling: Ironhide said staring at his son. :He has a tendency to want to love on things:
:I'll remember that: Lennox said with a grin. :We were thinking about maybe going swimming or something. Do they swim?:
:They have been in water since they were born: Ratchet said. :Our schools teach them swimming and water safety:
:Well, maybe we can go to the pool after the Festival and have a swim together. The kids love the sparklings. They had a great time today playing with them on the playground: Lennox said. :Maybe after the game day. Everyone is staying for a week:
:I would love that: Ratchet said nodding.
Orion walked around the segway and hugged Lennox. Ironhide extracted the infant and held him on his servo. "You can't hug a human unless you ask."
Orion looked at his atar, then the human. He pointed. "ATAR! I LOVE HIM!"
Ratchet and Ironhide chuckled. Ratchet looked at Lennox with a grin. :He just said he loved you:
Lennox grinned. :I love him back. What about tomorrow? We will try and make the Temple before Prime leaves the residence. I suppose that the multitudes will be there:
:They will: Ratchet replied as Ironhide nodded. :Go before it gets bad, maybe half a joor or more before mid orn. Prime will leave the residence and make his way to the Temple at mid orn:
Lennox nodded. :Mearing and Simmons will remain in the habitat along with some of the newbies there. The rest of us look forward to the moment:
:So do we: Ratchet said nodding. :This is the holiest orn in our calendar. This is the orn when we think about our lives and make amends if we can. We ask for amends and we give them if its possible. We also think about Cybertron, those lost and our future. Its a pretty solemn orn:
:Then when midnight comes, you break your fast. There will be the game the next day and fireworks at night...?: Lennox said going over the schedule in his head.
Ironhide nodded. :The game is going to be epic. They have improved the holo-emiters that are going to be projecting the game at the airport and two other sites for the cities. One is going to be out on the plain on the road to the industrial park and the other will be the road between Terra and Crystal City. The holograms will be so good it will be like you were in the arena. Bots will be on each side watching because both sides are perfect. Their view will be flawless:
:Wheeljack and Perceptor strike again?: Lennox asked as Hero edged toward the segway. She watched them chat, then climbed onto the device. Looking at it, she looked at Lennox. He grinned and climbed up behind her. He gripped the handles and the device moved. He rode to the other end of the living room on round trip. Hero laughed all the way there and back. It was a small sweet sound.
Then the others wanted a ride. It would take a few moments for Will Lennox to leave.
-0-At the N.E.S.T Habitat
They sat in the rec room watching the life of the habitat whirl around them. The soldiers who would be going outside to the Temple comprised only that original band. The families there would be coming including the grandparents. Simmons and Mearing along with the newer Strikers and nearly everyone else who worked as a tech both soldier and civilian would stay behind. They would also stay behind during the game watching it on the teevee along with nearly everyone else who either didn't want to trek to a view station or the two stadiums and buck the masses. The crowds were projected to be epic.
The teevee had been broadcasting special programming to let the city know what was coming and when. Fasting had been explained by the priests who were on the talk shows, *!THE JAZZ AND BLASTER SHOW!*, or as Orion was wont to say most happily, "BLAZZ AND JASTER!", The Hourly News and two special broadcasts of the previous Festival and the history of the reasons for it. Those two programs were not broadcast into the N.E.S.T. habitat.
The scientists were invited to come to the Temple. They were not allowed inside.
Yet.
They were ecstatic.
The Hu An were given a special invitation by Prime himself to partake in all the events that would happen and they accepted. They would be in front with the humans on the steps of the Temple. All was prepared and everyone expectant as the most solemn orn, the most holy celebration, the most potentially redemptive orn on the calendar of the Autobot Nation slowly crept toward them.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
They checked all the intell. It would take a week before the Decepticon group reached a point of no return. Until then, they still could go other directions. They were put on hold as were the remaining several dozen things being tracked. All of the intell feeds Prowl routed through his data processing node in the middle of his astounding array of internals. He would be monitoring it orn and night as data flowed in, subroutines designed for this sorting running at subconscious level as they calibrated real and possible problems and their solutions. Everything would be given a weight, the heavier and higher the number, the more important it was.
Prowl turned and nodded to Prime who had gathered his own data pads. "Time to go." Prime looked around the room. "Put the open channel on please."
The communications officer nodded opening the channel to all forward bases, Fort Apache, Luna Base and Diego Garcia. "This is Optimus Prime. You have permission to stand down. Coordinate your personal transponders to the Trigger mainframe so that you can be sent to your assignments if called up. Until then, you may come home for Festival. Prime out."
-0-Out there
Kup rose and stretched. "Prime is a good one. We don't have to be stuck here. Set the automatics, youngling, then get your stuff. We're going home for Festival."
Smokey who was doing his first tour on the forward base at Europa grinned as he picked up his gear bag. "I set the sensors on automatic. Now it's time for FOOTBALL!"
"This is going to be your first game, right?" Kup asked as he grabbed his gear and walked to the small new space bridge that had been installed a half decaorn before. It was small to medium in size and would only send and retrieve from their distance. Larger ones were on the others including the farthest base, Charon.
"It is. I'm betting on Kaon to KICK BUTT! The twins are on that team and I bet they're EPIC!" Smokey said as the space bridge burst into operation.
"Are your transponders calibrated?" Kup asked his group. They nodded. "It will be epic, youngling. Every thing a Cybertronian does is epic."
:Boo-yah!: someone said.
They all looked down at the floor and grinned. Kup nodded. :Slagging right. Ladies first though: he said nodding to the others.
Leonora Huttle, film maker, all around even keeler for the less stable Aaron and Jack of 'Platoon: Autobot City' fame and favorite film maker of all of the humans on Mars laughed and rolled forward, her segway, film crew and self disappearing into the roiling mass of energy. The bots would be next.
They all disappeared and the space bridge shut down. The sound of machines softly working was all that was heard as The People made their way back home.
-0-TBC August 2, 2013
Note: If you translate the name many tribes and groups on Earth have for themselves as a people, it usually translates to The People. I see no reason for the Cybertronians to be different. :D:D:D:D:D