The Diego Diaries: What now? (611)
NOTES: (Starscream): There are three landing gear for jets of the type that Sunspot formats into, two under body and one in the front near the nose cone. One in front, two in back. I call them tripods. :D What the Air Force and Navy call them is another thing. I would imagine that given the simple format that the Seekers designed for him, it would be like that. It is not in Sunspot's natural ability to do this because of his age.
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ON WITH THE SHOW!
-0-Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean, Earth
He watched his grandfather leave through the bridge, his angst running over. A dutiful grandson and son, he considered his situation now that he finally was alone. Turning to walk back out, grumping as he did, he paused at the rec room door. Blurr was walking out the door to do whatever it was he did when he was off. He was probably going to drag race around with N.E.S.T. soldiers, something that nearly all of them did in their spare time. He considered joining them, then decided against it. He didn't want to feel good. Feeling badly felt better.
He saw Jolt sitting by himself eating something so he wandered over and sat down. Jolt glanced up, then grinned. "You look like a train wreck. What's bothering you?"
Smokey looked at the bot he had most in common with in the garrison. They were pretty much the same age … mostly. They both were considered kids by the rest of the older mechs. Jolt was feisty but he was usually paired up with a more senior Autobot on missions anyway. It was just like his own fragging life. "I'm having a problem with my family."
"At least you have a family," Jolt replied. "What's the problem? You have a curfew?" he asked with a grin.
Smokey gave him a look, the kind that signified enough disdain that it could be seen without overpowering his teenaged angst too much. It was a delicate balance but he had perfected it over a long journey to Mars on his ship which had a very capable no nonsense fatherly captain who monitored his younger mechs like a grandpa. "Funny."
"To you maybe. You have family to be fragged about. Most of us don't have that luxury," Jolt replied.
Smokey considered that, then nodded. "Sorry."
"No problem. What's up your aft?"
"Are you Praxian?" Smokey asked leaning forward to talk.
"Oh frag no. I'm from Polyhex. What happened? Did your family invoke on you?" Jolt asked with a grin.
Smokey sat back staring at the smirking bot before him. "How did you know?"
"I didn't. You just told me," Jolt replied as he settled in for a juicy tale. "So why did they do that? I hear its only for the worst offenses."
Smokey stared at him, then sat back himself. Folding his arms over his chassis, he glared at Jolt. "You're enjoying this aren't you."
"You have a family. I don't. You have weird customs. I don't. Yeah, I'm enjoying this," Jolt replied with a grin. "Tell me. You know you want to."
"Maybe I don't," Smokey said leaning forward with a cross expression on his handsome face.
"You do. Is it about Hot Rod?" Jolt asked.
Smokey blinked, then sat back. "How do you know about that?"
"The army is a small world," Jolt replied. "They don't want you to date him, right?"
Smokey nodded. "They think he's not good for me."
"He isn't. I like Roddy because he's fun and smart but he's pretty fast. He likes a lot of bots and has a pretty good time." Jolt grinned. "You aren't his first rodeo."
Smokey glared at Jolt. "He and I are different."
"If you say so," Jolt replied. "What are you going to do about this?"
"I don't know. Invoking is Cybertronian law," Smokey replied moodily.
"Then tell them what you want. This isn't Cybertron. Even if the law here is the same as Cybertron, tell them that this is a new world and you want to frag up on your own."
"I won't frag up," Smokey said with a sharp glance.
"You will. You've been warned. But if you want to go ahead on this tell them," Jolt replied as he stood. "Come on. Let's go road racing."
Smokey stared at him as he gathered his plate and empty cube. Rising, he followed Jolt out the door to the eclectic wild aft world of driving humans around at considerably sub mach 1 and 2 speeds over the roads and dunes of Diego Garcia.
But not by much.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
"We have the meeting this afternoon to catch up. We will be discussing the possibility of moving Gliese here, or at least into the Oort Field. Its going to be a huge undertaking," Prowl said to Ultra Magnus and Paragon. "What I need to know is if the Trigger can generate that much of a bridge to make a planet the size of Cybertron come through in one piece."
"You will lose what atmosphere it has along with any and all surface water. A number of features might come apart at the seams. It will no longer have the reactive forces of Gliese 581 pulling on it. It will be seen if the sudden lack of gravitational pull will cause it to discintegrate in transit," Paragon said. "I have run a few models in my computational computer database and there are many variables. One of them concerns the aggregate nature of this world in all its organic complexity as opposed to the metallic solidity and nature of Cybertron."
"I agree," Prowl said nodding. "The mathematics and physics of this have to be precise to the greatest degree possible."
"If we don't, we will light a very big candle given the level of energon it contains," Magnus said.
Prowl glanced at him for a moment. "You have a way with understatement."
-0-At the park
Sunspot sat it the swing laughing as he pumped his little legs. Ironhide who was pushing him grinned. Ratchet who stood in front of him tapped his little peds when he swung forward into the sky. "ADA! THIS IS SO FUN!"
Ratchet grinned. "It is. What about you, Atar?"
"Best fun all orn," Ironhide said with a big grin on his face.
They would help Sunspot swing, climb on things and play chase until school was out. Then they would collect the infants from school. It would be a very good ending to a very long orn.
-0-Sparkling Day School, Terra, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars
Han stood next to the table designed for infants. It hit his waist line and was filled with all manner of toys that required simple steps to assemble for play. He stared at a little bench with shapes that were required to fit the holes. He patted them with his little servo but it would take more power. He looked around, then spotted the little light plastic hammer that went with the game.
Orion had it.
-0-Blackjack
He sat in the command ship, Zeta Supreme, directing a number of operations even as he monitored himself the bogies lingering nearby. He was formulating a number of options, something he had command authority to do when Flint checked in from Fort Apache. "Hi. How is it going?"
"Well. You?" Blackjack asked as he settled back to talk to his brother-in-law.
"We're following the bogies too. If you need an assist, I can launch Seekers," Flint replied.
"I will let you know," Blackjack replied. "It could be a nice exercise to take care of it ourselves. Our arrays will be built over the next few orns. Then no one will get to come close with anonymity. You won't be able to scratch your aft without me seeing you."
"I will be sure to bend over far enough just for you," Flint said with a grin.
They would chat for some time.
-0-Sparkling Day School, Terra, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars
Han walked to Orion who stood by the table on the other side. He was pounding on a Lego to make it fit into the slot he had for it in the house he was building. Han paused next to him and took it out of Orion's servo. Turning, he began to walk to the other side and his own project. Orion watched him with shock. He stood staring, then looked around. No one was paying attention. Conferences were starting the next orn so everyone was preoccupied. Free time was fun time.
Right?
Orion seeing no one turned to walk around the table. He paused next to Han, then grabbed the hammer. He jerked it out of Han's servo. Turning, he walked back. Han who was startled, turned to follow. He reached Orion pausing to look at him, then the Lego pile that Orion was building into a 'house'. Turning, he pushed it over.
That was when Orion booped him on the helm with the plastic hammer.
That was also when Mr. Roto turned to go into the room nearby.
He would not complete that action for a while.
-0-In the boondocks
He stood at the hatch door on the hangar deck of Phobos. The planet below was beautiful. It had a band of light where they were now living, a band that made life bearable. Without it, they would have to live in the dark, in the cold terrible darkness. The sun ward side of this planet was an inferno. No middle ground he thought. How many times had he been on a planet like this before? Too many.
He leaned against the doorway watching the planet considering his situation, unaware that Kup came to stand beside him. Glancing to one side, Hot Rod looked at the old mech that had taken him into servo when he was a brash arrogant beginner spoiling for a fight. "Hi."
"Hi. What's up?"
"What do you mean?" Hot Rod asked.
"You've been moping a lot lately. Did some mech get under your exoskeleton? For once?" Kup asked as he looked out. "Nice view. Long drop."
Hot Rod grinned. "Are you here to mentor my love life too?"
"Nope," Kup said. "Just don't like sour pusses. Someone told me that you're trying your slag with Dev and Smokescreen's grandson."
"My slag?" Roddy asked with slight offense.
"You know what I mean. Pleasure bots, affairs all over the place. You never lacked for confidence, I will hand that to ya."
Hot Rod grinned slightly. "That was then."
"Is it?" Kup asked. "I don't blame Smokescreen and Dev being concerned. I love ya. You got tons of potential which you mostly live up to but you are also a fragger from time to time."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Hot Rod replied.
"Truth sometimes hurts. Smokey is a good looking youngling but he's young and green. Are you after his looks or are you after more? I don't think given knowing ya all this time that this is out of line." Kup chomped on his stogie. "Love ya anyway."
Hot Rod smirked. "Well … I'll remember that."
"Good. Got duty planet side," Kup said. "Shake a leg."
Hot Rod nodded, then turned to walk to the bridge room. He passed Hercy who came from the elevator to join Kup. They nodded, then continued onward. Hercy paused next to Kup at the door. "What's with the youngling? Someone steal his pickle?"
Kup snorted, then grinned. "Probably."
They stood together watching the permanent night time of space and the shimmering jewel of Gliese 581 g, a place they were required to defend with their sparks.
-0-TBC February 3, 2014 edited 2-6-14