The Diego Diaries: Intermission 1 (568) edited
-0-On the field
Several hundred infants stood in line kitted out in their team paraphernalia as they were feted by their colony. They were watching as the crowd broke into chanting, a chant that they often did themselves in play and at public gatherings.
"Until all are one! Until all are one!"
They chanted it too joining their coaches and Ironhide who lent their voices to the ocean that roared all around them. Then it began to subside. Ironhide looked at them, then turned nodding to a group standing in the tunnel nearby. They walked out each carrying a trophy in their arms. They lined up on the sideline, their glittering inscribed trophies clearly visible to all. Ironhide turned to the multitudes. "You have seen the games. They're broadcast because they're important to the players and to this colony. They're our future, these younglings. When they began to play more than several of them said that they didn't want score keeping, they wanted multiple goalies and no one would play in contests that would mean someone else had to lose.
"They wanted to have everyone play happily and have everyone have a choice of positions because all were one from the beginning. They are the living embodiment of what we were taught and never accomplished. They are the living embodiment of the Will of Primus. For that, the decision was made to honor their wishes. We also decided that everyone indeed did win. So we will present a championship trophy to all of the players, a symbol of their sportsmanship and decency to each other." He turned and nodded to the first team.
The Might Mice minus Blurr at the moment stepped forward following Kip and Spinner. And Kip's mouse. Looking up at Ironhide, they smiled. He knelt taking a big trophy into servo. Grinning, he said, "Your names are on this team trophy."
"Is my mouse on it too? He's our mascot," Kip asked holding up her mouse, Mouse to show Ironhide.
He nodded. "We put it on."
The stadium howled and applauded. "HOORAY FOR KIP'S MOUSE!"
They smiled and hugged him, then looked at their other coach, Bumblebee. He grinned and took the trophy. Then he turned leading them back to where they had stood.
Another team came up, then others. Small youngling teams all the way up to sub adult younglings from Youngling Intermediate came up with excitement and intense happiness to get their trophy from the director for youth football. When the last trophy was delivered and the last team back in place, Ironhide stood up. He looked at them with a grin, then nodded. "These are the 2013 on the Terran Military Calendar Youth Football League Champions of Mars."
The place lost it. If there had been a roof it would be circling Jupiter. Genitors, friends, interested others all chanted team names, city-state names, their infant's names as they celebrated a spectacular season of infant football. They stomped their peds in the Cybertronian way signaling their EXTREME delight in the proceedings.
Ironhide grinned, then nodded at the coaches. One by one, they led their infants to the tunnels from which they had emerged holding the trophies up for all to see. When the last one disappeared, Ironhide waited for silence. It finally came.
"First of all, I want to thank the coaches for donating their time as well as the genitors who made this possible. Some of the coaches had never seen a child before this colony and to work with them was an optic opener for everyone. Without their support and the genitors, it would be impossible to present this sport to our younglings. The trophies will be on display in a special exhibit at the Autobot City Museum of Cybertron for a while, then displayed permanently in the lobbies of the schools. Thank you."
(Roar. Mass approval)
"I have also been asked to give two announcements. First, the Autobot City Amateur Rugby Association is coming up on their championship playoffs which will be listed in the sports folder of the Community Bulletin Board." (Insert HUGE roar here) When it was silent, he gave the other news. "I have also been asked to mention that there will be a college football league started next year and it will be housed in the new stadium that will be part of the new construction west of Terra." He had to wait a while until the din subsided.
Ratchet turned to Paragon. "You are a loser if you continue. Your time is over. We are strong enough to build sports stadiums. We are strong enough to kick your aft. You are yesterday's news, Paragon. You need to give it up and surrender. Anything short of that is out of your league and you know it."
Paragon stared at the field, then the smirking bot beside him. "I appreciate your assessment," he said simply. Then he turned to stare at the field.
Ratchet snorted. "If you say so." Then he turned and began to cheer again.
Ironhide waited until it was quiet, then grinned. "Again, I want to thank the genitors, families and friends for making this possible. The school stadium next door was the first and it was a mere quarry in the beginning. When infant football came about, genitors and friends, workers on their own time and the guilds and unions constructed it so our younglings would have a nice place to shine. When the first games were played, the stadium was in good shape for them. This can't happen without your support. We thank you greatly." With that, Ironhide turned and walked back to the sideline. His ada hugged him, then they turned toward the steps. It was a short walk to their seats where they paused to watch the jumbotron pan the crowd. It settled on Ironhide and Alor. "They can't get enough of us," Ironhide said with a grin.
Alor hugged him and laughed.
-0-Jazz and Blaster
"That was Ironhide, Master of the Armed Forces, Master of Munitions and a father of … how many is it now, Jazz?" Blaster asked with a grin.
"Eight, I think," Jazz replied. "That mech who got flattened earlier … Springer … he is Ratchet and Ironhide's son as well. The twins of Kaon, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are theirs as well. No two families were ruined when all this happened."
They snorted, then laughed. "We have a lot of twitter questions from Earth, Jazz. How about reading them and passing on the wisdom?" Blaster asked as he handed a datapad to his partner.
Jazz grinned, then read one. "This is from a sportscaster named Dave from New Jersey. He asks, 'How is it that fightin', even brawlin' is allowed in the games? Anyone human who punches anyone else is either penalized or ejected. Thanks. I love your broadcasts almost as much as the game."
Blaster snorted, then grinned. "Thanks, Dave. That is part of the game, the fisticuffs. There are limits. When Praxus chased a mech with a cocked fist, that was a penalty. Beatin' the slag out of each other in the scrum or wrestlin' the ball isn't. Mostly."
"It's why our game rules and most others are just tea parties." Jazz grinned. "The next question is from China. 'Blaster, why do you make towers when the ins is out? Where did that come from? It reminds me of our game, rugby. Thank you."
"Your welcome," Blaster said. "The game sort of evolved out of street games that were illegal. Anything that might be capable of starting riots was banned. But they were so popular that the government decided to allow them as a sort of control. All of the rules come from the streets. Towers were a way to see the ball and intimidate the player. I know rugby has the same thing but different. We play for keeps. Rugby will pause the game when bones break. We won't." He grinned. "I will say that rugby has a huge following here because it's a warrior game."
"A lady in England asks, 'Are your players worshiped where you live? Our players are and sometimes its a bad thing. They get more money than people who do more important things and always seem to get into trouble. What's the scene like for your players?"
Jazz nodded. "They have day jobs here. They are respected and admired but they also work at other things. No one is as famous as an athlete than Blurr but he works. He's a soldier in the army and has two bars. Everyone knows and likes him. He used to be an arrogant slagger. He was hard to like but the war did what wars do. It showed him how to find humility. That's not to say he isn't a slagger anyway. He is sometimes but he's a good mech. He was a coach with the Mighty Mice, the smallest bots we have. He helped modify the league so they could have games with smaller players and not get hurt."
"We have been on the run long enough to value real virtues mostly. We value our teachers and doctors. Education was not universal on Cybertron. Nor was healthcare. We know what has real meaning and what is just front. We hear what you are saying but its up to you. If you value them that highly, then what you get is probably what you want. We value our athletes but that is all they are. Athletes. Of course, there are those who take it to the next level ..." Blaster said with a smirk.
"Prowl?" Jazz asked with a chuckle.
"Who shall remain nameless," Blaster said with a chuckle. "He makes the duty schedules."
-0-Nice
"I really like those two," Grandma Annie said. "I correspond with them over sports. They read my blog and let me know they liked it."
All heads swivel. "What?"
"Oh … didn't I tell you?" Grandma Annie said with a grin.
Grandpa Leonard grinned too. "You told me."
-0-In the booth
"Here's an email from Midwest Annie," Blaster said with a grin. "That is a great sports blog. My favorite among humans," he said as Jazz nodded. "She's a writer who blogs about our football and other topics. I consider it a must read for me to keep up on how humans view this game and all the rest of it."
Jazz nodded. "Midwest-Annie. Google her. What does she want to know, Blaster?"
"She says, 'Since Kaon and Praxus are basically evenly matched due to the injury of Blurr and the two other players, what is your opinion of Kaon's offense and Praxus's defense in light of these mishaps? By the way, show us 'Vette and your charming Revet, Blaster. We miss seeing them."
Blaster turned to Revet and nodded. That smiling bot rose and picked up his son. Moving to the two, he leaned down so that both of them could be seen. "Hi, Annie," Revet said with a grin.
-0-Nice
Heads exploded as the family watched and listened. They turned to look at Grandma Annie who was real time blogging on the game. "GRANDMA/MAMA!?"
Grandma and Grandpa just grinned.
The readership of Midwest-Annie would be in the nine figures by the end of the game.
-0-In the stands
Optimus Prime grinned as he stood next to Prowl, Cyclonus on his other side. Ratchet was standing with Paragon and Slacker was talking to Blackjack. It could have been any game at any time. But it wasn't. It was a game designed to impress the slaggers. Whether they would change was almost not important. What was however was their ability to understand that they were not only outclassed, but if Prime ordered them eliminated, they would be. It was an object lesson that seemed to have made its point.
After the game, they would tour the Museum, the Temple, then have dinner at the Residence. After that, fire works would end the celebration day and they would leave.
They would go back to their lesser domains more than aware that the possibility of them triumphing over the Autobots was about nil. None of them were stupid. All of them were clever, cunning and capable. The idea that none of them would be able to prevail against Prime, not even if they banded together would be clearly understood, if not spoken aloud. It was all good.
For Prime.
A siren went off and the crowd rose roaring. As they did, the teams began to run out onto the field following their captains and banners, Dawg trotting along behind Kaon.
-0-Booth
"We had a lot of emails about Dawg. That's his name, Dawg. He is the personal pet of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. He is an Old English Bulldog in format. He's this side of awesome. He has tattoos on his body put there by Sunstreaker, who is an amazing artist. The one on his chest is an Autobrand. Dawg declared his faction early on," Blaster said with a chuckle. "The other tats are a Wrecker tattoo because the boys are as well and he's also the Wrecker's mascot. The other is his name and who he belongs to. Dawg. Wrecker. Mascot. Triple threat, that one."
Jazz laughed. "He is."
-0-On the field
They reached the middle of the field, then formed a long line, their banner carriers nearly side-by-side. The refs and coaches took their places, then all bowed to Prime. When that was over, they turned and hurried to their benches, Dawg waddling along with them, the cameras lingering on his awesomeness and lolling tongue.
Gathering together, huddling together, the teams for play turned and ran for the field. Watching them go, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe stood together anxious intensity on their handsome faces. Word was had that Blurr was rallying. That couldn't be good. Ever.
-0-TBC December 29, 2013
NOTE: LEONESS! HUGS BACK AT YA! All of the readership are kings and queens in my book. :D:D:D:D:D Bay, schmay. CALL ME, MIKEY! I am sure Springer would lend you your phone back. :D ;)
CHRONICLES OF PRIMUS: I am reading this book which is written as if Alpha Trion had written it. The Pantheon will get more props when the slaggers tour the Temple. The Thirteen Primes get a lot of treatment here:
PRIMA (PRIME): 'the archetypal hero, a warrior made closest to Primus's own type and intents, focused on the greater good. He was a mech of conviction who was a fighter too. His relic was the Star Saber which was like the Quill … symbolic of its power rather than the full limit of it. Its edge could cut between atoms with the accuracy of the finest tool, or sunder mountains. :D
VECTOR PRIME: serious, stoic, never right because he was always right with a sense of balance and order unsurpassed; could manipulate time and space, create/prevent paradoxes and mend or distort fabric of physical reality. Had tons of swords, a staff and other weapons but noted for Blades of Time. This was a mandala made up of many separate pieces which could be put together infinitely in different ways. Given the format, he could enter hidden dimensions through which he could travel and do his infinite weavings and unravelings. (Google mandala. Its very intriguing and helps understand him and his powers)
ALPHA TRION: historian of Primes and memory of Primus in case He was ever called to life again. Gifts were The Chronicles, some of which he could not read, both past entries and future as well as the Quill which wrote the truth. Only Prime to get total recall and a link to the spark of Primus.
SOLUS PRIME: calm, confident, totally beloved by other Primes for her ability to create and friendship. She would make whatever a Prime asked for and would. Injustice really made her angry. Used the Forge and the Creation Lathe – a holographic projection in 3-D of herself surrounding her to create. She would think things through, working out the problem, then use one stroke of her hammer to create anything whole and ready to go no matter how complex.
(Alpha addresses sexuality and gender at this point: 'the Primes and later the Transformers don't have gender the way that humans and other biological species do.' They referred to Solus and others who formatted into her lineage as 'a she' in order to 'comply with your human reference terms and to show a distinction that Cybertronians recognize among themselves (though other races do not). (In other words, they are acknowledging other species gender distinctions even if they don't have them themselves. Gender doesn't exist among them. They are just being polite to others)
"To Cybertronians, there are two distinct 'kinds' that we easily divide into, recognizing key features in the manner in which information is processed. It is widely supposed among the remaining Primes that this difference was necessary to operate the Creation Lathe, which required a vast capacity for wide-ranging and parallel thought processes. (In other words, Solus had to take this format to make things with her artifact tools, rather than acknowledging the notion of gender in this species that doesn't exist. Some take that format in honor of 'her'.)
Alpha: After becoming a part of a wider galactic community, we adopted the habit of using a gender reference protocol when interacting with gendered alien species in order to demonstrate that we are not unfamiliar with the notions of difference and equality; we recognize our difference; we celebrate our equality. In early, pre-contact Cybertronian notation, however, all Primes and others are referred to by a single symbol. I note that in human terms there is a rough 1:1 ratio of male to female that does not correspond to our 1:12 distinction, and I apologize to any females of the species who may feel slighted at having their pronoun applied to the less-numerous type of Cybertronian."
(In short, they have no genders but Solus had a different body type to run the Creation lathe. Some Cybertronians took her type because ? they loved her or wanted to honor her and liked it. They used the feminine pronouns to acknowledge their awareness of gender in other species but don't usually recognize it in their own since there is only one gender distinction notation or glyph from the times of the Thirteen. Intriguing. Makes the forced introduction of gender by Jhiaxus even more heinous than before. He was applying alien concepts to their species by force. I also believe that 1:12 ratio of 'femmes' to mechs is too low. I would put it given the paucity of femmes in all the formations and universes of Transformers to be in the range of 1:100,000 or so. There are so very few of them as to render them invisible in their own society.)
MICRONUS PRIME: Tiny, mini-con. Very smart, ingenuous and energetic. Watchful observer. Primus intended to make him the conscience of the Primes and he was serious about it. Loved to hang with Solus who loved his company too. He could link with other Primes in battle to boost their energy and because he could, they were never defeated. His relic was the Chimera Stone. He used it to connect to them and he had lingering after affects from its use for a while giving him some of their abilities.
ALCHEMIST PRIME: Mystical, an elemental being. Saw life in basic formats- spiritual or mystical and attuned to its cycles. Could fight, intuitive and smart, preferred to be in the natural world. Had a magical ability to transmute metals and alter properties of things temporarily. Best friend of Alpha, nice, gentle, had the artifact of the Lenses. No one else could use them because they were a part of his optics. Alchemist and Nexus Prime were mid pantheon primes in the place where the energies of Primus and Unicron were most balanced.
NEXUS PRIME: He was also an elemental but they were circulating and changing within him. He was the first transformer. Always exciting, always changing, he was a daredevil and free spirit. He was also the first combiner because his five parts could function independently with intelligence, joy and fullness of purpose but were never more happy than when combined. He was loyal to Primus and a joyful spirit. His artifact was the Enigma of Combination. No one knew what it looked like but that it existed and was powerful.
ONYX PRIME: Alchemist was in tune with nature in the form of elements. Onyx was more bestial … beast like and could travel in spirit across time and space because of his artifact, the Triptych Mask. It had three sides allowing him to access own subconscious and the awareness of all living things. Could share consciousness with those he never met, travel across distances he never physically traveled, gained knowledge from any form of alien out there. The three faces of his mask had names: Farsight, Predator, Mournsong. No one else could use it. He was an alpha personality and the Prime most in tune with spirit. He was great to be around and loyal. He was unique in being the friend of all Primes.
AMALGAMOUS PRIME: Joker of pack. Never cruel, just fun. His artifact was a scythe. Would never know it because he was constantly transforming. Didn't hold grudges, was a delight to have around, forgot things that didn't matter and his artifact was the Transformation Cog. All others would be modeled on his.
LIEGE MAXIMO: Talker, manipulator. Bent words and thoughts easier than metal. Con man talker. Was a conniver but believed he was right. He could get power over others and the naivete of the Primes at the time made his abilities to do this powerful in the extreme. The others were just not prepared for him. He began to craft path to power under nose of Prima who couldn't believe such mendacity was possible. His artifact was Liegian Darts. These were actual darts filled with poisonous toxins of all manner but his worst weapons were his words and manner.
MEGATRONUS (The Fallen): Warrior like Prima but his anti person. Most complex according to Alpha caught in warring impulses. Dedication to Primus never wavering but felt like an outsider because Primus was a difficult path and Prima adhered to it immaculately. He was ruthless, ambitious, had conviction and ability which made him formidable. He felt that made him suspect to the others, 'too much like Unicron'. Paranoid from the distrust and inability of the others to accept him and that made him unstable. Solus made the Requiem Blaster for him. It could destroy suns. Tip of the hat: the harvester in Return of the Fallen.
THE THIRTEENTH PRIME: Unlike all the others. He was a warrior, physically adept and had the intellectual and physical fortitude of kings. Had less ego than later primes. Was Prima's second … dutiful, obedient, obeyed Prima and helped all who needed it. He had no special weapon or artifact but took up Solus's seconds … armor and such as instructed. His true purpose was as mediator and visionary. He didn't need great armor or weapons. He had his good spark. Inspirational speaker, perceptive thinker and calm soul. Well liked and pulled own weight. Would comfort others in stressful times with a friendly hand on shoulder and words, "all are one." He made you feel and believe it. He could even calm Megatronus. Thirteen united us. Without his influence, we would have fallen into disarray far sooner. -Alpha Trion
This comes from the Chronicle of Primus. I intend to use it and these characters not only in this story but in the sequel after this in some yonder date: The Diego Diaries: The War for Cybertron. This book tells the story of the history of Cybertron. I will use it to tell it too. HUGS my darlings. -Me who attributes all of the above Primal stuff to the Chronicles of Primus by Justina Robson and published by 47 North. :D:D:D