The Diego Diaries: Skills (478) edited
-0-The Hourly News later that evening
Infants were running around the apartment playing, laughing and having a good time. Ironhide perched in his red chair grinned as they flashed past. Ratchet reclining in his green chair grinned too. They were home again and even though it was still not the same it was getting close.
"Today, the Office of the City Manager released the names of the three new cities under construction south of Autobot City. They are three new locations that are planned to hold not only businesses and colonial offices but nearly a million new refugees. The Office of the Primes indicated that more migrations are on their way and the new locations along with space still available in Pax, Crystal City. Terra, Luna and Autobot City as well will be enormously helpful in getting new arrivals settled. We talked to Blondi, the Colonial City Clerk and administrative assistant to our Colonial City Manager, Ultra Magnus. She had details about the new names."
(switch scene to City Hall, Metroplex District and beautiful cheerful femme, Blondi)
"Blondi, the names for the cities were released today. Would you like to explain how they were chosen?" Jacx asked.
She nodded. "We had an open period where names could be submitted by anyone with an idea. Then they were posted on the Community Bulletin Board in the Special Events-Contests folder. After a winnowing down period, several names made the cut and from that list voting commenced. The winners were overwhelmingly chosen by votes. All in all, there were over two million votes cast."
"The winners and the cities they name?" Jacx asked.
"When you go to the cities, they are designed to be separate but aesthetically close enough to give an urban view of the landscape which on its own is pretty flat and sparse out there. The first one you come to is going to be called Tyger Pax. Apparently there is a large contingent that is homesick for that name again." She grinned. "The second city that you come to on the highway through that region is going to be called Centurion after the region south of Polyhex. The last city is going to be called Kalis. There will be no Earth names in this round of building."
"These were the winners in the voting by large margins?" Jacx asked.
Blondi nodded. "They were runaway winners."
"There are businesses already there, correct?" Jacx asked.
"Yes. Ultra Magnus feels it would help the settlement of individuals coming to move into a city if there are functional amenities already in place. It would feel more normal and there are businesses that have been looking forward to opening in a city more Cybertronian in design. As you know, all three are multi-tiered with elevated transportation and crosswalks between buildings. It is designed to be more Cybertronian for Cybertronian tastes and aesthetic."
"Thank you, Blondi," Jacx said. "Back to you, Gen-O."
Gen-O appeared on screen in the studio and nodded. "We will be exploring Tyger Pax, Centurion and Kalis over the next few orns to show you the cities and their many businesses and amenities. For now, let's turn to the weather."
The forecast was calm with blue skies, a perfect late spring orn on Mars.
"Looks like home," Ironhide said.
"I know. I wonder what it would be like to live in one of them," Ratchet said. "I have to go out tomorrow and inspect the medical centers. They were hooking up and troubleshooting the computers the past few. Might have to wander around when I get there. I hear that there are restaurants coming in and all of them have grocery stores now. It will be nice to see the cities filled with our people."
"It won't be long now. We have a huge migration coming," Ironhide said. "I wish the missions to the camps were over. I don't like all this delay and slag."
"I know. Keeps a mech from making his spice rack," Ratchet said with a grin.
Ironhide snorted. "Slagger."
"Renaissance mech."
They both laughed loudly.
-0-On the beat
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe rolled along the the third tier elevated or el road in what was now Tyger Pax. They were assigned to the Night Watch temporarily and had been given the brief of patrolling the new city for trouble along with four other teams. They were mostly empty at the moment but for work crews, the odd tagger or new start up business working late. They had rolled into the grocery which was still organizing their wares. It was as vast as the ones in other places, the shelves groaning with delectables for their soon-to-be awestruck patrons.
"This is amazing," Sideswipe said pausing beside the high grade selection which seemed to go on for miles. "I will never get used to this."
Sunstreaker nodded. "I know."
They puttered around, then rolled out heading onward into the night. Unaware of the nuances nearby, they rolled past the windows of the newest start up in Tyger Pax. Sitting in their newly furnished office taking a break from their labors to enjoy a snack retrieved from the newly established grocery down the road, they watched as the two mechs passed by the huge windows of their new business.
Kale paused a moment, lowering his cube. "There are those fraggers from the fight."
The others glanced up staring at the two as they passed by then disappeared. "Frag, it is," Gravity said. "Those fraggers need to pay." He stood up and looked at the others. "Be back in a minute." With that, he faded from view. The door opened by itself, then closed.
-0-On the street
They rolled along under the starlit skies, the glittering spectacle of Phobos overhead. It was cool but not terribly so as the lights of the city threw pools down on the ground below as well as the roads and buildings all around them. They were several hundred feet in the air rolling along a brilliant four lane highway that wound around the city, then took off for the other two cities beyond. They were linked and as such would facilitate a more normal urban Cybertronian lifestyle of multi-level skyscrapers with densely packed living and working spaces. The sense of neighborhood would be restored along with the ease of getting around in the towering forest of the city. When there were multitudes living here, the shadows would be less eerie because there would be illumination from homes and more businesses.
"This feels spooky," Sideswipe said as the two paused by the side of the highway. Down below were more roads including the start of their own as it wound upward from the ground level highway below. "I'll be glad when more live here."
Sunstreaker nodded. "Do you want to live out here?"
Sideswipe looked around. "I wouldn't mind it."
"Me too. I like my studio where it is but I also heard rumors that the courthouse was going to take over the building," Sunstreaker said.
"Great. The dojo would have to move. We would. Those three other businesses that haven't been run over by the Courthouse and the Justice Department too. I suppose we will have to face that when we do. I hear that there is a tower in the second city over dedicated to schools," Sideswipe said. "They aren't opening it but they are getting it ready. What have you heard. You're on the committee."
He nodded. "More mechs, more kids. We have to plan ahead."
They stood chatting quietly unaware that a shadow figure was nearby watching them. Gravity listened to their conversation learning about them even as they had no idea he was there. He had the ability to become invisible, something that he had devised himself. He had always wanted to be able to maneuver like that. It had taken some careful hacking of the military databases in Iacon to find the information that had allowed him to create this feature for himself. He had also put dampening effects in place so that he could wander off the sensors of anyone around him. Mirage was the only mech known that had the same capabilities from separation. The three others who had invisibility capabilities could be detected since their personal feature didn't include that function.
Gravity listened, then turned walking back to the tower where their business was. Dropping his effect, he grinned. "Those slaggers live in the City. They have a studio in the Cultural Center. One of them paints. The other one … I don't know. I'm going to find out tomorrow. I'll find out where they live. Maybe we can leave them a present too."
"I heard that Ratchet is their ada. Ironhide and Ratchet," Kale said.
"Really," Gravity said sitting once more. "Then slagger runs in the family."
They chuckled, had their snack, then returned to the business of anarchy and high caste terrorism.
-0-Jetta
He slipped into the apartment after a long orn of work and travel about the colony. He had dinner earlier with Elita who was still working on intel at Ops Center. Their apartment seemed empty without her but he was used to coming home alone. One rolled with the punches when you bonded with an intel and special ops expert. He walked to the monitor and checked his mail. An invitation to a card game was prominent among the offerings. He left a message for Elita, then walked out heading for the Central Labor Hall and the floating card game that never seemed to end.
The door closed quietly behind him.
-0-Orion
He stood staring at his sister who was putting her toys on the low shelves the way she wanted. Her old atar had left them in a neat stack on the floor for her to 'put them the way you like to, Hero'. So she was. Her dollies were neatly lined up. She stood back and looked at them. "What do you think, Orion?"
"I LOVE THEM!" He turned and hugged her.
She hugged him back. Then she put her little books in the book slots all of them standing up neatly. "What do you think, Orion?"
"I LOVE THEM!" He turned and hugged her again.
She hugged him back, then turned to put tiny new furniture in her new little doll house just so. It was replacing the one blown to bits. It was among her favorite toys. She liked to play Ada with Orion as Atar and Praxus as 'the little baby, Atar, because he's so cute'.
Like that.
She had a tiny dollie for each of them when they played and they played with enormous entertainment value to their genitors, though they never noticed them standing in the hallway listening with big grins.
Taking her little Transformer dollies that fit nicely in the house, the Earth-made Hasbro-derived kind that were copies of all her significant adults given her by Uncle Jazz and Uncle Mirage, she looked at Orion. "What do you think, Orion?"
"I LOVE THEM!" He hugged her and they tipped over.
Ratchet had to step out of the doorway to control his belly laugh.
-0-Elder, Femme, Youngling and Sparkling Hospital, Administration Center, Metroplex District, Autobot City, Mars
He paced in his cell, his fury almost unbearable. He had demanded to see his attorney. They had checked with Jarro, Barron and Ratchet. It was agreed that a short conversation between Dex and Fenix would be a good idea. Meeting with the three, Fenix got an overview of Dex and Sio, then suggestions about how to speak with him in a sensible realistic manner.
No, he wasn't going to go home. Neither of them would be allowed.
Fenix had sat grim faced in the conference room when a snarling Dex was led there. The door closed but the two way window was activated so that security could watch to ensure Fenix's safety. His conversation would not be overheard but his person was under scrutiny.
"FENIX! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! WHY AM I STILL HERE!?" Dex nearly levitated out of his chair at Fenix who raised his servos in a placating manner.
"Sit, Dex. We have to talk," Fenix said as calmly as he could.
Dex stood a moment, then sat heavily. "I am unclear what is happening. I wish to go and they will not allow it."
"Let me explain this as best I can and I truly hope you listen, Dex. Please listen," Fenix asked with a slight tone of urgency.
Dex stared at him a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
"Good," Fenix said rubbing his face with his servos. "What I want to say you don't have to agree with but we have rules here, the same ones from Cybertron and we have to play the game. We have to play the game to win. Do you understand me?"
Dex looked at Fenix, his helm in a whirl. He sat blinking, then nodded. "All right. Tell me what is happening."
"Under Cybertronian law that has been in existence since the orns of Nova Prime, when someone appears to be a danger to themselves they can be held in a hospital and examined by the relevant doctors for three orns. At the end of that time a report is derived and a competency hearing is held. That is when it is decided if they may go home, get outpatient treatment or be held over for hospitalization. That is also when the courts can decide to prosecute that person for what they may have done against the law or drop the charges. Probation, usually supervised can happen as well. Depending on the report, the courts have a lot of latitude."
"What has that got to do with me, Fenix?" Dex asked with no small amount of confusion.
"You had an altercation in the City Hall. You might think it a trifle but I have studied the statutes and you were disturbing the peace, acting in a manner that can be construed as dangerous to those present including yourself and you refused to leave the premises when asked to do so. That is a violation of the statutes. That has always been part of Cybertron's law, Dex."
He sat back staring at Fenix with a dulled expression. "I want my son. Do you know that, Fenix? I came to get my son."
"I know," Fenix said gently. "I am working on his case now. Please trust me, Dex, when I tell you that I am going to help him."
Dex nodded. "I know you will, Fenix. That is why I called for you."
"Right now, we have to play the game and I know you will find it distasteful. You have to do what they ask, answer their questions, take their tests. You have to show remorse and understanding so that they can conclude that perhaps fear for your son motivated you and not caste. That way I can try and persuade them to drop charges and let you go home, or at least get you on probation."
"That is preposterous," Dex said with genuine dismay and surprise.
"That is the law, my friend. You can help you son immeasurably if you do what I ask. Do what they say. Show understanding and remorse for what you did even if you don't feel it. Ask yourself every time you find rage coming over you … do I really love my son and what would I do for him?"
"I do love my son. He's my only child," Dex blustered.
"Then … the question is will you suck it up and do whatever you have to do to help him by helping yourself and me who has to persuade them that you aren't a danger to the city or yourself? Do you have that much in you? Or is it easier for you to rage and bluster ? Is that moment of rage worth the damage you will do if you commit to it?"
Dex sat a moment staring at Fenix, the impact of his words sinking in. Then he sagged slightly. He nodded. "I understand."
"I hope you do, Dex. We are in enemy territory and we are outnumbered and surrounded. Every stupid impulse that you surrender to makes it harder and longer to get your son free as well as yourself. If that is what you truly, really want you have to suck it up, mech up and do what I told you. Understand?"
Dex looked at him squarely, the understanding clear on his handsome face. He nodded. "Understood."
Only then did Fenix relax too.
-0-TBC October 19, 2013
Dear Guest: the unknown telling Ratchet to leave the apartment was relevant. :D:D:D
NOTE: I have been digging through the wikis and the like getting information for these threads and a buncha long term ones. I AM DAZZLED by the universes of the Transformer multiverse. I will be taking a sort of meandering track here because of the new cities, a number of minor threads that need expansion and a visit, backstory for a bunch of things so they don't appear out of no where and we have a CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL GAME UPCOMING!
Praxus Science v Kaon Kavaliers. HUT!
I love you guys. Hugs to all out there. You make me find stuff. I hope you are entertained. I know I am. HUGS!