The Diego Diaries: Problems 1 (676)
-0-On the road to Ops Center
They walked along the platform heading for the surface, the reins dispersed among the grandpas as they herded the infants to school. Appa Ratchet carried Hero who wanted to hug her great grandpa. Orion with his awesome threads and his sweet brother chatting along with him hip hopped up the steps from the train station to the Central Plaza of Terra. It was busy all around though many were the mechs and occasional femme who paused to note Orion's sartorial splendor.
Cybertronians didn't wear clothing. It was superfluous. Cybertron was a planet with a warm core and they were metallic. Mars on the other servo not only had a cool core, it didn't generate much of a magnetic field because of it. They had little to no protection from radiation from space the way Earth had but they also had a much thinner atmosphere and colder temperatures over all. None of it mattered to adult mechanisms because their mature systems were able to regulate their internal and external temperatures.
Infants weren't mature nor were their systems in these kind of environments until they reached the age of sub adult younglings. Keeping the important parts of their body warm … processors and their chassis area around the spark where some of the most important nodes were located had become problematic on their new world.
Thus, Orion.
Most of the children on Mars wore hats all of the orns when the temperature dropped below zero. Other apparel was on a need-to-do basis which meant here all the time they were outside, and thus many was the genitor and grand genitor who'd become enamored of infant clothing.
Yes, Ironhide and Alor. We're talking to you.
Infants were carried in blankets or the growing-in-popularity ubiquitous Seeker carry bags. Coats of all manner for all shape of mechanism had blossomed in stores and co-ops in every city. Given that this was their future, their hedge against extinction, mechanisms took their parenting/grandparenting responsibilities very seriously.
Hence, Orion.
They converged on the school ambling along with big grins as the little mechs noodled along oblivious to the humorous nature of their big brother's get up.
Appa Ratchet glanced at Ironhide who carried a grudge as his father carried Prowler. "That sparkling is a caution, Ironhide."
"He is. He's practicing his special ops today. He's going disguised as a daisy," Ironhide replied with a grin.
They chuckled, then continued until all of the infants but Prowler were in their requisite line waiting to enter their class for another day's tussle with round, square and rectangle. Prowler had been slipped into his atar's hold for the return trip to Ops Center and the staff meeting with Prime.
They would make it out of the school once again with the littlest Autobot of them all but not before the mechs in the family weighed in on Ironhide's wussiness.
He wouldn't care. He was practicing his special ops as well.
-0-At Ops Center
They entered, then sat, some of them carrying equipment to discuss their portion of the meeting while others came light. They found their seats and sat quietly chatting to each other or going over their presentation at the last moment, checking data and other information.
Ratchet ambled in, then sat relaxing in his chair. Ironhide hadn't arrived with everyone else so he looked for a target of opportunity. Everyone was busy, a couple studiously ignoring him and the rest seeming to be recharging with their optics open.
It was a typical 'Monday'.
When more came, they sat in their chairs piling things up before them. It looked like a heavy duty meeting.
Ratchet considered that he brought nothing but his snark and an infinite capacity to look interested when he wasn't. He was equipped with all it took.
Ironhide appeared with Blackjack, Alor and Flint. They sat around Ratchet, then grinned.
"You look amused," Ratchet said glancing at the trio.
"That sparkling," Alor said with a chuckle. "He's surpassed himself at last."
"It's a phase, I think. Cowboy to soldier to … your guess is as good as mine." Ratchet grinned. "Can't cramp mech's style with suggestions."
Jetta grinned. "Do you have images?"
Ratchet snickered, then glanced at Alor. He tapped his helm and images appeared. It stopped the conversation in the room.
Then Perceptor leaned forward. "What a charming child."
"Thank you, Percy. That infant is something else," Ironhide said proudly.
"I'm glad you don't suppress his creativity," Perceptor said sitting back. "He's a creative child."
"You won't get an argument out of me," Blackjack said as Prime and Prowl entered, then paused to look at the images of a little mech with a flower on his helm.
Ratchet grinned. "Aren't you glad he's named after you, Optimus?"
"I am," he said with a chuckle. "Nothing that infant does surprises me."
"There's a future Prime if I ever saw one," Starscream purred as the room erupted in laughter.
They sat and grinned at each other as Prowl slid data pads around the table. When everyone was ready and the last image was shown, they turned to the business at servo.
"I am very proud of the soldiers and Seekers that took part in the rescue of our people. It was a tough mission and it ended well. I hope the relevant individuals express my great appreciation to all concerned." A murmur greeted that, then Prime turned to Prowl. "Shall we begin?"
Prowl nodded, then looked toward Magnus. "Ultra Magnus?"
Arcee who sat beside him with Chromia handed him a data pad like a good bond. He took it and began. "Our population officially stands at 4,569,283 individuals. We have housed the newcomers in the first three available new cities with dispersal of others throughout the open housing in the Tri-Cities as well as those metro-formers who are not designated military or on duty status in emergencies.
"Metrotitan evacuated his precincts without hazard and there was no breakage when he came back and took his platform again. Having that option with him is a very great benefit to our battle presentation."
Prime nodded. "I agree."
"We have progress in future housing which is good considering the echoes that are heading our way including very faint ones in the direction of Fort Recluse," Magnus said. "I would suggest that the cities that need names be named as well. I would assume that the voting has been closed, Blaster?"
That bot nodded. "It has. I can tell you the high vote getters if you want, Prime. Suffice it to say, everyone is homesick."
Prime nodded. "I noticed."
"The city's population suggested the names, then voted for the ones they wanted through a winnowing process over several decaorns. This was generated by the citizens," Blaster explained. "Those with the highest votes were Vos, Praxus, Iacon, Simfur, Altihex, Tarn and believe it or not, Kaon."
It was quiet a moment, then Prime sat back. "The people have spoken. Jetta, will you assign names to the individual cities? Then Blaster can release the information to the press. You can coordinate with Jazz on that message."
Blaster nodded. "On it, Prime."
"We're content with the amount of housing right now as it stands, sir, but we will continue building. Jetta can speak to that. Right now, our departments are opening satellite offices in the cities so that they can serve our people more easily and fully.
"We have kept two towers for the schools and University for further expansions and population. There are museum and library annexes in each city. Business applications are pouring in and we will process them with dispatch."
"What about our industrial ability to add new businesses to the Foundry Exchange?" Ratchet asked.
"We have been discussing with the Planning Commission opening another industrial park south of our current location in order to take advantage of the infrastructure in the ground out that way. A branch off of the underground as well as highways above ground would make this easier to build and service," Magnus said as Jetta nodded. "Shipping would then be more inline with the shipyards and existing transportation. That part of it will take minimal improvements.
"As we grow and steadily we do, we will need to expand our industrial base, Optimus. In our staged forward planning, we have this plotted out. All it will take is the go ahead. Our city construction is at the finish stage in three more cities with further expansion plans being plotted. Right now we could use the expanded industrial output," Jetta said.
"Infrastructure," Elita said with a grin.
Jetta snorted. "You know better than to talk dirty to me in public."
Laughter abounded.
"What does the planning commission say?" Prime asked with a grin.
"They're ready to submit the expansions and new projects list to you for discussion and hopefully sign off," Magnus said.
"Then do," Prime replied. "I rely on your expertise. Perhaps we can go to the proposed site and discuss things pending what comes up this afternoon."
"I will keep my schedule clear this afternoon," Magnus replied.
"And I will, too," Jetta said.
"Good," Prime said as Prowl took his usual copious notes. "Herling?"
"All is progressing well," he said proudly. "We're ready to place several of our Intermediate students into pre-University courses. They will be the first."
"Would you suggest a note of congratulations is in order?" Prime asked.
Herling nodded. "That would be splendid. We're starting a work experience program for the Intermediate younglings that are in their last quadrant of study in public school. Expect to see younglings mentoring in short term work study programs around the colony. We've placed two in the main branch of the Autobot City Public Library."
"What did you think about Orion's get up today? Does that distract?" Ratchet asked.
Herling grinned. "Not to me," he said as others chuckled. "We actually have a dress up center for the infants. He likes to do that. A lot of them do."
Alor nodded. "My genitors would be wild about him. I'd say he has eclectic tastes."
Herling grinned. "He does."
They continued with the schools report, then Herling stepped out. He was doing the interior design of the two tower set asides and they needed his input. He was ecstatic to give it. His job was beyond exciting for him.
The next few reports were business oriented with all giving their pretend listening faces but for Prowl. Prowl was always a good boy. When it came to Ratchet, it was pretty good news.
"There's the usual suspects ... protoform wasting but not extensively. Most of these were on world a long time before being forced to leave. "The Wanderer group is getting better. They were so long lost that they had to make due and are scheduled therefore to an extensive list of repair, refining and surgeries. What a nice group they are by the way.
"We have several Decepticons who were killed and a handful that didn't die. They'll go to the prison when they're released from the security unit at Metro Femme. Three of four infants had spark chamber transplants. They came through very well.
"The infants that were injured in the explosion are a mixed bag. Several lost limbs. One sustained a processor injury that only time will tell how permanent his impairment is and how much we can fix what happened. He's a toddler," Ratchet said with a cold tone. "We're going to regrow protoform, then do limb replacements. We have a specialist making optical replacements. Yes, even that happened. Fraggers. All in all, the overall picture is good."
They sat a moment digesting that news, then went on to Starscream. He had only the most glowing news possible for his units and overall Seeker population. They discussed future expansion of the Aerie Hill District housing and agreed it was time for more. It all ended well.
For him.
"Wheeljack?" Prowl said glancing down the table at the smirking scientist who was playing a math game with Ratchet across the table.
Internally.
In case Perceptor gets into a snit about 'propriety, Wheeljack'.
Like that.
He glanced up, then leaned forward. "Perceptor, the younglings and I have figured out how to move Gliese and keep it intact."
It was silent a moment, then Ratchet grinned. "All in an orn's work, I suppose."
Wheeljack sat back a moment. "You could say that," he said with a chuckle. "We've figured out what to do. All we need is another Trigger and another chamber. We can share the bridge to load it. With that set up, we're go."
Alor looked at Wheeljack, then laughed aloud. "Just like that. Another Trigger."
Wheeljack grinned. "Piece of cake."
"If its Celebration cake, I'm in," Ironhide said as he slid Prowler out of his hold. The infant grinned at him. "Prowler's in on it. too."
"ATAR!"
Everyone looked at the infant, then his utterly surprised father.
Prime grinned, then glanced at Ratchet. "Do you want me to call Herling or will you do it?"
Ironhide nearly slid under the table from fright.
-0-TBC April 7, 2014 edited 4-8-14 7-23-19