The Diego Diaries: New (625)
-0-Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean, Earth
She ran into to administration office where they worked halting before the desk of a soldier named Tim Travers. Everyone in the room paused to stare at her. "What?" Tim asked.
"PROWL AND PRIME HAVE A DAUGHTER!" Aisha Mohammed said just before she began to jump up and down in place. She was followed by everyone in the room and a lot of squeeing.
Moments later...
They gathered around the monitor of Devon, one of the femmes who had citizenship with the Cybertronians. They were putting out a notice on the 'Mighty Femme Network of Diego Garcia', a list created by Aisha to facilitate communications between those males and females who had served with the bots and still were, those who had and missed them when reassigned elsewhere, those who wanted to and never had, their families and other interested individuals carefully vetted who were military as well as civilian. All of the families of the N.E.S.T. soldiers were members too. It was a total population of 1,931 individuals.
The door opened as another femme ran in pausing before the group. "THE MCA JUST TOLD US ON THE HOURLY NEWS THAT PRIME AND PROWL HAVE A DAUGHTER!"
"WE KNOW!" -everyone in the room.
She joined them as the message was crafted: "GUESS WHAT! PROWL SEPARATED AND THEY HAVE A DAUGHTER! ISN'T THAT THE GREATEST!? WE HAVE TO GET A PRESENT TOGETHER. WE CAN SHIP IT HERE THE USUAL WAY AND SEND IT THROUGH THE BRIDGES TO AUTOBOT CITY! ISN'T THIS GREAT!? GET BACK TO US WHAT YOU WANT TO SEND! REMEMBER, NO GENDER STUFF! JUST CUTENESS!" -Aisha
"You are screaming with the cap lock on, Aisha," Tim Travers observed.
"I KNOW!" Aisha replied to great laughter.
They grinned a moment, then glanced at each other. "Let's get this going." -everyone
Messages were sent to half a dozen grandmas for handmade presents even as half a dozen fathers and grandpas were asked to do the same. Among others.
-0-Metroplex Elder, Femme, Youngling and Sparkling Hospital, Metroplex Administration Plaza, Autobot City, Mars
He sat on the med berth a moment gathering his wits as the infant they had not planned but longed for anyway was being scanned for a baseline rating of her present condition. That it would be found to be optimal was no surprise. She lay on a warmed towel on a scale as Gypsy did this and that to her tiny delicate format. She looked at Gypsy without a sound of objection, allowing the gentle turns and pokes without complaint. "What a fine little femme you are, baby," Gypsy said with a grin.
"I have a message from Diego. Apparently they have the word," Ratchet said as he paused a moment to listen.
"What do they say?" Bluestreak asked.
"Roughly translated? Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," Ratchet replied with a chuckle.
It was a relief to laugh as everyone stood up to prepare to leave. Out in the hallway there was laughter, voices and shuffling sounds as the congratulations began to move out of the suite and into the bigger world beyond. Prime who was standing beside Prowl gently massaging his shoulder glanced at the door, then Gypsy. "What is the verdict, Gypsy, for going home?"
"100%," Gypsy said as she wrapped the infant in a warmed blanket. Taking another from the stack in a warming oven overhead, she turned to pause before the two. "Who gets her first?"
"Kestrel," Venture said with a grin. "Then Tagg. Don't you agree, Optimus? Prowl?"
Kestrel blinked. "You should hold your daughter first, Orion. You and Prowl. We can wait."
"You have waited long enough for anything and everything, Ada," Optimus said with a nod to Gypsy.
She turned to Kestrel and held out the little bundle. He took it with an expertise that once learned was never forgotten. Holding her up, he looked at tiny blue optics in a beautiful face. Tagg pulled the blanket back, then glanced at his son. "She is so beautiful, Orion. She is lovely."
Kestrel nodded as his optics began to tear up. "I feel like crying."
"You can, Ada," Optimus said gently. "I think I might join you," he said as he leaned against the med berth, his arm around Prowl's shoulders. That mech was looking at all of them, the adults of their family who had been brave, strong and good. They were here to celebrate their family and a new member, a daughter. It made him feel emotions that didn't come easily outside of his apartment walls. Again, he marveled at the turn of his life … of all their lives. "I think I will join you too, Kestrel," Prowl replied with a slight grin.
Ratchet who was listening glanced at an emotional Ironhide. Blackjack and Alor along with the rest were feeling the same way. He looked at the barrier and grinned. "I would too but a certain whiner won't let me see."
Chuckles greeted that as Bluestreak peered around the barriers. "Loser," he said with a chuckle.
"Disrespectful youngling," Ratchet replied. "I gave you two of the best sparklings I never had and this is the thanks I get?"
It was enough to break the logjam. Alor chuckled. "Shall I break into song?"
General consensus what that he should but he begged off 'modestly' as the screens began to move back. Gypsy's femme team pulled them aside as the family behind it began to gather to go home. Prowl looked tired, Prime relieved. Kestrel who had given the infant to Tagg looked at her tearfully. Venture and Miler waited graciously as Tagg took in the beauty of a granddaughter. He looked at all of them. "I heard from Ironhide that a daughter was something all mechs should have. I never gave much consequence to gender but this little spark is special. I can see that."
"Wait until you see the little hats and jackets, Tagg. Femmes have cuter things than mechs," Ironhide said with a grin and no shame.
Laughter greeted that as Prowl turned his neck for the medical devices to be inserted. He looked at Gypsy and nodded. "Thank you, Gypsy … you and your team. You are genius at this sort of thing and it makes me feel better to have you when it happens."
Gypsy nodded as she beamed at him. Her team did as well as Prowl stepped forward. Optimus looked at her. "Thank you, all of you for what you do and for this moment. I am in your debt."
"No you aren't," Gypsy said with a smile. "It is my destiny to do this."
A moment of chat was had and a layer of snark laid down about the customs of Praxus before they reached the door. When it opened cheers and stomps, the Cybertronian way of saluting someone or some event filled the suite like a fog horn. Blue stepped out tamping it down somewhat. Then the family began to depart with Ironhide, Ratchet and the others bringing up the rear.
Down the hallway they went taking congratulations, ribald commentary and the salute of the masses. Jacx asked a few questions, then shook Prime's servo. They continued forward to the elevator and the ride down. Fortunately, the slow walk to their tower would be swift enough even as the news of the event was still filtering out. Horns honked, mechs crossed the street to speak to them. Members of clubs their family elders belonged to congratulated the grand genitors on the newest member of their family as they walked toward the tower and the Residence beyond.
When they reached the elevator, they took two reaching the penthouse at last. Blue opened the door and everyone walked in watching as Prowl sat at last in his chair. Venture who had the infant looked at Prowl. "Who gets this infant now?" he asked.
"Optimus," Prowl said with a grin. "Need you ask?"
"I held Miracle first," Optimus began before Prowl cut him off.
"Optimus," Prowl said with a pointed expression.
"Oh, Prowl. You little minx, you. I had no idea that you had Optimus so well trained," Ratchet said as Optimus took his daughter into his arms for the first time.
She was tiny, something that would change over the next few months. Ratchet was of the opinion that the rapid growth sparklings experienced over the first year of their lives was geared to help genitors handle them more safely than any notion of natural advancement of their protoforms.
Prime looked at her with an expression of love and awe, then turned to Prowl. He nodded, words failing him at the moment. Prowl nodded back. It was silent a moment, then Optimus held her out. Prowl took her, settling her in his arms. Peering inside her warm cocoon, he grinned. "She really is a pretty infant."
"They all are," Ratchet said with a grin. It was silent a moment. Then Ratchet grinned. "You're still behind us."
Ravel reached up and slapped the back of Ratchet's helm. "Manners, Ratchet. This is a holy moment for our Prime and his family."
"Listen to your ada, loser," Prowl said with a big grin.
"Yes," Miler said rapping Prowl on the helm himself. "Listen to your ada."
Laughter was just what the moment called for. Then Optimus turned to Ratchet. "What is the plan for Prowl and the baby, Ratchet?"
"I would stay home for a couple of orns. At least Prowl anyway. Getting back on your peds after a high energy event like this takes a bit of recharge and energizing. The baby is on Gypsy's radar so she is in great shape. You can't get anything past that little femme. All in all, I would say it's going to be fine."
Prime nodded, his relief evident. "You can stay here. Paragon will take the shift until you are on your peds again. Perhaps after the naming ceremony, Prowl."
"I can route work here," Prowl said to immediate slag. "I will anyway. It is who I am."
"Martyr. You have a new dollie to play with, one with cuter stuff and still you insist on being an aft," Ratchet said with a smirk.
Prowl smirked back. "Yes."
Laughter rolled through the room, then Blue looked at everyone. "Don't worry about the ceremony. We have it in servo."
"Who is 'we'?" -everyone in the room, most of them filled with dread at the prospect of schlepping around to Blue's exacting standards
Blue smirked at them, then looked at the twins. "We have it in servo, right?"
They looked at him, then shrugged. "We do," Sideswipe said with a grin. "Whatever you say, Babe."
Sunstreaker smirked. "Suck up."
"Where is this going to be held?" Ironhide asked.
Alor nodded. "Music?"
Blue nodded at Alor, then looked at Ironhide. "We are going to have it at the airfield. I don't expect that you will have that many touch her little ped. I did some research. Do you remember that little femme, Jass who lives in the Vos Tower and teaches Praxian culture at the Community Schools once a decaorn in the Talking History Project?"
A momentary pause ensued, then Ratchet grinned. "That tiny little thing that looks about three feet tall? Golden armor but very old fashioned? Has about three sons and a bond that are as old as the hills too?"
Blue nodded. "She is a Praxian cultural treasure. She is the only one in the colony that remembers a number of crafts and two sub dialects of the local lingo. She told me about alternatives for the touching part of the ceremony."
"What are they if I dare ask, given the primitive nature of the culture we are discussing," Ratchet asked. Tie Down slapped his helm. Everyone grinned.
Blue laughed, then smirked at Ratchet. "Ada-in-law aside, you are a loser." Blue barely ducked the slaps and slag, then stood up grinning. "We are opening a page on the Community Bulletin Board for well wishes. We are also asking that a gesture of goodwill to the colony be given instead. It can be as simple as picking up trash or holding open doors. It will be an open window of two orns for this. All you will have to do is hold her while everyone files past to look. The other part of the obligation to her can be met by turning the touching gesture to the community she will be a part of and making it better."
"I like that," Optimus said. "Thank you, Bluestreak. I worried about that part of the ceremony."
"If everyone who is expected shows up at the airfield and touched her ped, it would fall off halfway through," Blue said nodding.
"Parties?" Alor asked with a grin.
"You have to ask?" Blue replied. "All of the community rooms and rec halls, the public places all over town will be celebrating with dancing, food and drink. Public Works will hang up the Emblems of the Primes on the light and flag poles for the three orns of the ceremonial solitude and the two orns of celebration. They began in the Tri-Cities and will have them up by mid afternoon today or so Magnus told me."
"You are the host with the most, Blue," Ratchet said with a grin. He glanced at Ironhide, then paused. "What's up, Ironhide?" he asked as he studied the serious expression on the big mech's face.
He glanced at Ratchet, then grinned. "I was thinking how much Hero would love a sister to dress up."
A roar of laughter and groaning swept through the room as Ratchet turned to him, servos on hips. "I will be happy to play catch for you."
Drift nearly choked on his tongue as Ironhide's face curdled in disgust. Springer slapped Ironhide on the shoulder. "The ball is in your court, 'Atar'."
"Frag that," Ironhide said with feeling.
-0-TBC February 16, 2014 edited 2-16-14
NOTE: I am watching Dark of the Moon as I write this and I am amazed at the slowness and clumsiness of too many of the designs for the Cybertronians. I can't imagine a species with so many vulnerabilities as them with so much open and so much exposed on their structures. Nothing is smooth or really functional. Interesting.