The Diego Diaries: Talk 2 (412)
-0-At the throw down
"You were a Decepticon?" Congressman Dexter asked with a slight tone of incredulity.
"A lot of us on Mars were. Emphasis on the 'were'." He grinned, his handsomeness evident even to the humans, something that Ratchet knew full well. "We were part of the Cause but things changed … we changed and left. A lot of Decepticons live in the city and they've renounced the Cause. They work in the army and in the city to protect it and serve the leader of our people … the only legal one, Optimus Prime. I was a 'Con but I changed. Everything changed. I hunted them before I hooked up with the Wreckers. I became an Autobot and never looked back."
"But you did terrible things then. You did them as a Decepticon?" Dexter asked.
Drift was silent a moment, then nodded. "I did. I was a Decepticon. I was really good at killing Autobots. No one should've accepted me. No one should've trusted me but they did. I'm trusted and welcome. I serve our people and leader. I follow a path that allows me to change, the path of the Knights of Cybertron and the Circle of Light. I protect our people and yours, too."
"You were captured by the Insecticons shortly ago," Ratchet said just alluding to the fracas in Alaska.
Drift smirked slightly. "Sideswipe and I were. We were a bit slow that day but we made it through. Live to fight another day, that's all you can do," he said philosophically.
"Then you know about these new formats and how they work from your own experience. Tell us about them," Dexter asked.
Drift considered the request. "They were the product of a scientist who was trying to make soldiers for Megatron, hardcore and expendable. They formatted their alt modes on insects that lived on that world becoming what they re with a few modifications. They stand about 35 to 40 feet tall, have six arms usually that can rend steel, jaws that can bite through cybertanium, the ability to fly and take a lot of abuse. There's a story that one of them nearly offed Megatron in a fight.
"They have a hive mind, tend to work together really well and follow their master with abandon even if they have to die to do it. They don't have fear, very few of them are very bright in a dangerous enemy sort of way and they're many. We saw an awful lot of them, most still in stasis. Their leader Arachnid has usurped the leadership of Megatron, but then she was never too trustworthy. I find them hard to kill, dangerous opponents but not invincible. Mostly," he concluded with a slight grin. "They do give us a good workout and I like fighting them." He glanced at Ratchet. "But then, that's just me."
Ratchet snorted. "You and Ironhide both," he replied. "Anymore questions of this bot, Congressman?"
"No," he said with a slight grin of his own. "I think I get the point. By the way, Drift … welcome back."
Drift grinned. "Good to be back." He rose and stepped back to stand beside Springer and Smokescreen.
"Ambassador, Who's the young, uh, mech? Who's that one next to Springer?" Dexter asked.
"That's Smokescreen," Ratchet said gesturing the youngling to come and speak. He knelt, leaning in to look curiously at the monitors of the humans watching. "Hi," he said in a youthful confident voice.
"Hello," Dexter said with a grin. "What do you do, Smokescreen?"
"You can call me Smokey. My Grand Ada is called Smokescreen. I'm named after him," the youngling said with enthusiasm. "I was a member of the Elite Guard on Cybertron during the war, at The Fall. We loaded the relics and hit the road when it was clear that Cybertron was going to fall. Optimus Prime was already gone chasing after the AllSpark with Megatron behind him. Boy, I wish I could've been there!"
Ratchet grinned.
"You were caring for relics?" Dexter said.
Smokey glanced at Ratchet, then the monitor. "Sure. All of the relics of our people. We put them on board a ship and left heading out to guard them. We finally made it here, where OPTIMUMS FREAKING PRIME was forted up! HOW GREAT IS THAT?" he asked with a grin. "I get to serve and learn under the greatest Prime ever."
"You sound like a true believer." Dexter grinned. "What about your family? I've heard about your grand … what is it? Atar? We've heard about this a couple of times now."
Smokey glanced at Ratchet who nodded. He looked at the camera. "My Grand Ada is Smokescreen. Before the war he was a gambler. My grand ada is and was an Autobot bounty hunter. No one gets away from my grand ada. He always gets his mech."
"So they both serve in the Autobots?" Dexter asked, his face reflecting the charm that he felt for the youngster speaking to him.
"They do. Grand Ada entered the service at the start of the war. Grand Ada was an independent bounty hunter before that and he really really hates Decepticons. He did that and he was pretty busy as well raising my own atar. But he was an Autobot, too. They were my inspiration to join the Elite Guard. I want to fight!"
Ratchet snorted. "Devcon wants you in college. His grand ada is called Devcon and he's the most outstanding, relentless bounty hunter and tracker in the universe, I think. He's decided that you will go to college."
"Frag that," Smokey said with a frown on his handsome face.
Springer tapped him with his ped from behind.
He looked up and then at Ratchet. "You need to tell him that my destiny is in the army fighting with Prime. If you tell him, it might mean something. I've talked until I'm blue in the face."
"In the right lighting you are," Ratchet said. "You know better than to fight this. Your own atar went to school on Cybertron because of your grand ada." Ratchet turned to the screens. "On Cybertron, if you weren't a rich high caste slagger you didn't get to go to school. Certainly not organized state sponsored schools and college was out of the question. Even though Devcon was mid-caste and eligible to attend school through what you call high school, Smokescreen was low. His grand atar, Smokescreen was low caste and even though Dev was middle, the babies are considered legally low caste from such unions to discourage them.
"However Devcon took his son down to the schools in his town and enrolled him. No one argued about it. No one dared. Dev is a force of nature and you, youngling have no hope. How was the first day of college by the way?"
"It was fragged," Smokey replied with a shake of his helm.
"Is your father a soldier, too?" Dexter asked with a grin. He was finding the exchange not only intensely familiar and 'normal', it was also funny. He'd had the same discussion with two of his own sons himself once upon a time.
Smokey looked at the camera with an angst filled expression one could find on the face of any teenager in any mall in America. "No. He's an accountant."
The laughter filled both sides of the screen for a bit.
-0-Around the rosy
Devcon chuckled as he sat in Club Hoyle playing cards with a few of the boys and the bond. A monitor playing nearby. He glanced at Smokescreen. "We're on the same page with that youngling, right?"
Smokescreen glanced at Dev with great affection. "Damned right."
Elsewhere...
"That's your son, right?" Fenix asked as he stood at a computer station with a few others. A monitor playing nearby showed the exchanges as Ratchet defended them all to the world.
Moda nodded. "That's my son."
"Good looking kid," Fenix said.
Moda grinned. "He is isn't he?"
No one argued.
-0-There
"Your family doesn't supply soldiers to your army then," Dexter asked relaxing under the warm spark of the youngling speaking to them. He was kneeling next to Ratchet who was sitting.
Ratchet looked at the kid with warm affection and the others just stood around the two looking formidable, oddly terribly handsome and relatable.
"No. My family fights. Don't get me wrong. My grand ada and atar are really FIERCE. But my atar and ada, they like a more peaceful life. I'd rather sit on a grenade than be an accountant." He blanched. "Uh, if you're watching, Atar ... no offense."
-0-Here
Moda grinned proudly at his son. "None taken, baby," he said softly.
-0-There
"I wanted adventure and stuff like my grand genitors. They've always been adventurous."
"I can see that." Dexter was thoroughly enchanted. "Do you play football?"
"I would love to do that but I wasn't here for a team. I personally want to play for Kaon. Kaon is my kind of team though Praxus is our family's home town team. I want Kaon to win the big game. It would be great for that town," Smokey said. "I'll join up next season. They're expanding the game and there'll be two leagues and twelve teams. If I could play on the same team as Sunstreaker and Sideswipe ... well, that would be AWESOME!"
Ratchet grinned from audial to audial as the enthusiastic youngling charmed the skid plates off the audience. He knew that Smokey would. He was enthusiastic, sweet sparked and smart. He would also have no idea how much he would charm the world watching. Team Smokey t-shirts were rolling off the assembly line even as they spoke.
"Who do you guess will be the winner of the championship game upcoming?" Dexter asked.
Smokey thought a moment, then shrugged slightly. "They're both so tough, so big ... I can't guess who'll win. The defenses are matched. One side has Blurr and the other the twins. It's anyone's guess but I'll be for Kaon. I love their game and all that," he said with a grin.
Dexter grinned back.
Piccolo who watched the exchanged glanced at the timer. "Thank you, Congressman Dexter. Your time is up." He glanced to the right. "Congressman Mathers of Florida ... you're up."
He wouldn't be so nice.
-0-Club Cybertron
"That infant is a glory to me, Smokescreen. I wish I could tell you how much," Devcon said.
"You and me are on the same wavelength, Dev," Smokescreen said dealing the cards again.
-0-There
"Thank you for the in depth analysis of the football prospects for next year, Smokescreen. What I want to know now is why we should trust your ability to keep this world safe when it turns out that the ground beneath our feet is crawling with monsters."
Smokey looked at him, then Ratchet who nodded. He looked back at Congressman Mathers, his optical ridges narrowing. "You should. You don't have the ability to stop them. We do. We fight for the whole system. The Insecticons were here before we came. They were here waiting for the signal to do what they do. How is that our fault? We're here to make you safe. And I don't like the insult to our Prime. That's Optimus FREAKING Prime. You'd better have more respect in your tone than that when you talk about him." He looked pissed. That is, he looked as angry as a youngling mech who hero worshiped his commander could.
-0-Ops Center, Mars
"Oh oh." -Prowl
(grin) "He's doing just fine." -Optimus
(grin) "Youngling is a stand up mech. Has all the respect you can ask for. Dev did a good job. Moda, Tress and Dev." -Ironhide
"Tweet, Atah." -Prowler
(melts just a smidge) -Ironhide
(calculates liberation, then makes his move) "Oh, my. Look at that!"-P
*SNATCH!*
"WHAT THE FRAG!?" -I
"Loser." (smug) -P
(GRIN!) -Prime
-0-There
"I'm asking important questions here. I'd think you'd use a bit more of a temperate tone yourself, young man."
Smokey started to speak but Ratchet's servo on his shoulder paused him.
Ratchet looked at Mathers. "You could use a bit of a temperate tone, too. You just cast aspersions on our great leader. You should practice what you preach."
It was silent a moment, then Mathers spoke. "We have dead soldiers at Diego. You were supposed to have 'buttoned up the system'. Yet you didn't. We have three slaughtered soldiers. A massacre happened on your watch and families are left bereft forever."
Smokey looked furious but Ratchet nodded him to stand with the others. :I have this, son. You did really well for our side, Smokey. Now stand back there and look handsome, too:
Smokey grinned at Ratchet, then rose up glaring at Mathers. He moved back and bumped fists with Springer and Drift who stood together to 'watch a master at work'. The comment made by the Ratchet figure on the intensely popular program, "Transformers: Prime" had been bandied at Ratchet ever since. Somehow it fit.
Ratchet looked at the monitors. "I was there. Let me tell you what happened, slagger. Then you can apologize if not to us, then the families you're trying to exploit for political gain."
TBC August 28, 2013 edited 7-5-14 12-3-2022
NOTE: According to Michael Bayverse, The Fallen was over 40 feet tall, Optimus is 28 and Megatron, 35. I have put the Insecticons into 35'- 40' range because they appear to be Megatron's size in TF: Prime. :D