Construction Work

November 27, 2011, 4:41 PM
Back To 2011 Logs
Grimlock Hammerstrike Ratchet Lifeline First Aid Swoop Grapple Hoist
(Vast Refugee Camp)
---
Grimlock has a sort of casual disregard for the refugees and others about, but hasn't said anything or caused any issues, so long as most of the poor, helpless folks stay out of his way. Right now, he's more focused on making this place a military strength instead of a liability, working with those who'll listen to him in moving tons of rubble from the old spot, and melting it down or building it up into a basic defensive outer wall with room for ground to air turrets and similar defenses.
Despite his low rank in the military, Hammerstrike's experience in construction and demolition has led him to be assigned to help Grapple supervise and direct the construction and reinforcing of the defensive infrastructure. However, it is not the large mech's nature to sit back and watch others do all the work, and thus the vermillian Autobot is in the thick of things, gettins his proverbial hands dirty. Proverbial, for he is currently in his twin cranes form, his wrecking ball having been unhooked from one of his cranes and been jury rigged to lift and stack building materials instead.
"No, no, that should be set four microns to the left! Honestly, didn't you read the blueprints?" Grapple admonishes two of the Autobots working on the foundation for a building, watching them make the necessary corrections before moving on to other areas. He stops by Hoist and crosses his arms, looking at the hologram projected from the small device in his coworker's hands with a frown. "Hoist, how is sector three coming along? Are the demolitions going as expected? Because if they can't get those buildings down correctly-"
Hoist finishes the sentence for him. "The foundations for the new ones won't be able to sit right and it will ruin your impeccable design. The demolitions are going splendidly, as far as I can tell. Although..." He zooms in on the small holomap of the planned changes to the camp, examining the sectors for any open spots. "Excuse me." He murmurs, patting Grapple on the shoulder and leaving him to mutter about ruined designed plans and underappreciated genius. Making his way through the wandering neutrals, he glances around, trying to find... Ah, there. "Ratchet, Lifeline." He calls out, approaching both medics with quick steps and a friendly expression. "You were looking for empty or undecided lots to place a clinic, weren't you? I have a list here if you'd like to look it over." He motions to the minature holo-generator in his hand.
Swoop was helping with the demoliton and clearing of the area to make room for the new building, with Grimlock and a few other bots. he didn't mind this kind of work, and he enjoyed spending time with his Brothers. Especially Grimlock, even if the larger Bot was somewhat rough and bad tempered. At the moment, Swoop was hauling rubbles to the dumping area where they were to be meted for slag and used afterward in the reconstruction. He took off again to go gather another bunch of rubbles, and flew over the group of worker to the demolition area.
Ratchet turns toward Hoist with a grunt. "What do you have, Hoist?" he asks, offering a datapad with a few guidelines that may limit the available choices.
Lifeline turns toward Hoist as well, inwardly amazed at all of the construction work and outwardly curious about the choices of location being offered. She isn't so much concerned about the interior of the building -- she's cobbled together a clinic before from scrap and spare parts -- she wants to make sure it is located in a part of this newly recovering city that will make it the most accessible for everyone around.
Grimlock nods his approval to Swoop's efforts, and by and large ignores Hoist and Grapple and their precision measurements. They may care about precision work - right now, he just cares about getting a security wall up quickly - if something seems too unstable, the answer is easy - add more material! The end result won't be pretty - its already kind of an eyesore... but it will withstand concentrated heavy fire, and offer secure ports to set up heavy weapons emplacements that won't be easy to overrun. "Good, Swoop." he rumbles - compliments available to very few, but apparently appreciating the rapid materials transport. "Need more reinforcement there... there... and there." He points out the spots he currently deems too weak. None of this coordinates and microns nonsense for him. 
First Aid hurries to catch up with Ratchet and Lifeline, marvelling openly at all the activity. That the Autobots would be building a new clinic for Lifeline isn't a surprise, but the amount of effort that's being poured into the whole refugee camp is wonderful.
Material stacked, one upon another, mortared and soldered for adhesion and cohesion. Presently done with this area, the large crane reverts back to a robot. Hammerstrike looks up and down the wall he had just finished with a critical optic. He then informs others working on it to keep doing as they were doing, before walking off to a new area that seems to be in need of more attention. Briefly, the shadow of Swoop falls on his towering form, causing him to glance up abruptly, almost flinching, but then the large mech relaxes back into his steady ambulation. Upon finding where Grapple was, Hammerstrike lumbers over to confer with the superior builder. He stands silently, waiting for an opportunity to speak without interrupting any orders. "East facing walls at sector C-3 are near completion," he reports.
Hoist activates the datapad, looking everything over and comparing the guidelines to the options he'd been considering before handing it back to Ratchet. "Well now, let's see here... " Activating the holomap once more, he offers First Aid a friendly wave as the medic trainee approaches, turning his focus to the plans. "Keeping it in a central area rules out sectors nine, three, and seven- all their free lots are on the outskirts. All the larger lots in six and one are taken, so they're out of the running as well..." He muses, maneuvering the map around to get a better look. "Sector two has the largest free lot available, 485-2, which is right on the main roadway. Would that work?"
Grapple nods absently, watching another group of mechs working to get the basic framework of a dormitory up. "Good, good. How is the rest of the sector going up? We're being pressed to get the defensive perimeter up as quickly as possible. They obviously don't understand that one cannot rush perfection." The last part is said to himself than Hammerstrike.
"No... can't," Hammerstrike rumbles in agreement with Grapple's latter comment. He takes a moment to glance at the mechs supervised by Grapple as well. "West wall complete. Tower at the corner of adjoining walls is still in progress, waiting on engineers to provide plans for the lift. Can't work out internal structure until then." There is a pause. "...Last minute changes are being made to make it more mechanical and require less energy."
Ratchet hums and looks at the proposed lot's information with narrowed optics. "I would say so. I'd add at least one other access from the roadway, but otherwise, it looks like a go." He turns to the other medic in attendance. "Lifeline?"
Grimlock ignores the goings on with the clinic and dorms and the rest, focusing on making good use of the materials left over and things they don't want for the living area. When he deems the rather ugly, but thick security wall sufficient from one direction, he starts pacing along it, using the end of his sword to trace out points and room for weapon emplacements so no one else will built there, and has what crew he has start digging out the areas to lay a foundation for whatever anti-aircraft emplacements can be spared or built from what they have. 
First Aid looks around, waving at Hammerstrike as he approaches the engineers and moving over to say hello when the other mech has a spare moment.
Lifeline looks at the proposed lot and can't keep the surprised expression from her face. "That's...much more area than I'd pictured." She looks at Ratchet with a bit of concern. Maybe it's too much?
Ratchet looks at Lifeline with a frown. "You expect a smaller clientele next to a refugee camp?" he asks.
Lifeline frowns right back. "I don't know WHAT I was expecting, Ratchet. I've essentially been on lockdown since I left Cubicron. How well would YOU function in an information vacuum?"
Hoist nods, entering the decision into his simulation and mostly ignoring the arguement. "Alright then! I'll have to upload the changes into the database and get Grapple's approval, but that should work perfectly. So if you'll excuse me..." He says brightly, deactivating the hologenerator once more and trudging off to the small building he and Grapple are using as an uplink to Iacon.
Grapple huffs out his vents in annoyance at the change of plans. "I want to review all changes before they're put up." He insists, dropping his arms from their crossed position. Hoist taps him on the shoulder as he passes, and Grapple glances after him before looking back at Hammerstrike. "Keep up the good work." He says finally, moving to follow the other engineer into the building.
Ratchet snorts. "You're going to have a hard time convincing me there isn't a need," he tells Lifeline. "At this rate, you'll at least have storage and multiple wards... including isolation," he notes with a piercing look. He turns around to reorient to where this lot is.
Hammerstrike inclines his head to Grapple. Seeing the mech is done there, he turns to plod off to work on another sector while waiting for the pending plans for the tower at his previous location. That is when he notices First Aid who had come close. He pauses and looks down at the young medic, offering a slight smile that breaks from the otherwise austere mold of his face. "First Aid," he says in greeting.
"Good cycle," First Aid smiles. "I don't want to get in your way, I just wanted to say hi. They're deciding where Lifeline's new clinic should go."
Lifeline hmphs. Ratchet's right and she knows it. Doesn't mean she has to fawn all over his declarations. "Fine. But that big a facility is more than I could run by myself."
Hammerstrike stares down at First Aid, making optic contact to show he is listening. Once First Aid is done sharing, the large mech looks up over the medic's head towards the uplink Grapple and Hoist had gone to discuss further plans with. "Good. Lifeline can be independant and busy again," he responds. His optics then drift over to Ratchet and Lifeline, briefly lingering there.
"True enough," Ratchet admits. "Time to start recruiting," he says at length.
Grimlock starts in on adding some air cover to his shield walls. This isn't terribly precise either, but he makes up for precision engineering with thickness of material, hefting huge blocks across the top of his structures where they'll fit and melting the edges into place, and carving out some murderholes and the like so defenders will have a point to shoot upward through, designing the structure to be as impervious as possible for ground troops fighting aerial opponents, still unconcerned with the medical wing and the rest.
First Aid nods. "Yeah- and she won't have to stop helping the neutrals who depended on her." A pause. "Those are big walls. I'm hoping I'll be able to keep working for her too." He shifts his weight akwardly.
Hammerstrike glances off into the distance in the direction of Iacon's dome. "Yes," he says almost absently to First Aid. It is then his optics see the monstrosity that Grimlock had been slapping together, and the large mech makes an almost strangled noise deep in his vents.
Lifeline makes a face at that. Recruiting? Ugh. But, better than ending up trapped in the Iacon repair bay any longer. Her optics flick over toward First Aid. Even if she thought the young medic in training had the freedom to leave Iacon to work here, she knows he doesn't. His siblings are there, and she would never even consider making him choose between them and her.
"Anyway - nice to see you someplace other than the training field- or the medbay." First Aid smiles again and turns to walk back over to where Lifeline and Ratchet are still talking.
If Grimlock hears any of the critique of his frankly ugly design, he doesn't show it. Its not pretty, but its strong, even by his standards, and provides air cover and murderhole targeting both out and up so even these people might be able to hold the place against an assault for a while. He cares far more about that and the potential harm it might do to the Decepticons far more than he does about precision engineering. Content with this section, he starts to move down to outlining defenses for the next section of his wall.
Hammerstrike inclines and allows First Aid to walk off with a simple grunt of an "Mm," as goodbye. He then turns to stare even more at the walls the Dinobots are constructing, and his expression ALMOST looks mortified.
Lifeline nods to First Aid. She's glad to be outdoors as well. "What do you think, First Aid? Does this clinic idea sound worth giving a try?"
Ratchet looks at Lifeline askance. "A try?" he asks. "This is one slagging serious try!"
First Aid stifles a smile. "It's going to be a lot bigger than your old clinic. You'll have space for more than one patient at a time."
There is a lull in Hammerstrikes movements as he faces the uneven b ut thickly built wall. Silence. Silence. Still silence more. Finally the mech tears himself away as if by force from some fixation and heads to a section near Grimlock's place of work that he hasn't started on yet, and begins issueing orders to the workers there, and himself, getting to work.
Grimlock glances towards the actual engineer setting to work on organizing the wall. He considers that a moment, then just nods his approval. As long as the work gets done, and the place doesn't end up a hole in the defenses, what does he care who does it? He hefts a new section of scrap material, moving several tons of material over a shoulder, and heads to start work at a reinforced corner section. 
Lifeline tosses Ratchet a brief glare, then looks at First Aid again. "True." Though she doesn't say it out loud, she remembers only too well being too busy most of the time to get more than the minimum amount of rest required. The thought of an even larger clinic... it's a bit daunting.
"I mean, think how many more people you can help," First Aid continues, oblivious to the undercurrents- or the tension between the two older medics.
"There will definitely be a lot more," Ratchet points out simply. "You'll need multiple berths, because they won't be nice about waiting for just one," he says, looking around the environs.
Lifeline turns a LOOK back at Ratchet. "Oh, and the mechs in Cubicron are the very models of patience?" She shakes her head. "But you're correct. Being able to help more mechs at a time is only an improvement."
Perhaps it's an earnest desire to do a job well done. Perhaps it is something more, but Hammerstrike seems to be working extra hard on these walls and directing the others to do the same, to the grumbling of one or two. The mech does occasionally look over to Grimlock's progress between tasks.
"And you'll have space for more equipment, and you won't have to worry about crime, either, as much, since there will be patrols. And.. it'll be a lot closer, if I can keep working for you." First Aid says.
Ratchet eyes First Aid with a quirked optic ridge and a downturned mouth. Of course, now that he's a military medic, he can be hopeful on his assignments! "You realize that's not entirely up to me, or Lifeline, First Aid?"
First Aid nods. "I know. But if I can, I want to."
Lifeline looks from First Aid to Ratchet and back. "If you're allowed, your help would definitely be welcomed." He gaze returns to Ratchet again. If need be, she'll go stare down Prowl. Again.
Hoist emerges from the building again, a few datapads containing building floorplans tucked under one arm. He hands them off to a mech as he passes, giving instructions as to where they're to be delivered before moving on. Moving through the people in the settlement, he manages to spot the trio of medics again, and quickly approaches them. "We've secured that spot for the clinic." He informs them cheerfully, holding out the last of the datapads, this one containing a set of confirmation data, to Lifeline. "Grapple is working on tentative blueprints for it right now, actually."
Lifeline takes the datapad to look through the confirmation data, then offers it to Ratchet. She's not going to admit it openly, but some of the surveying technobabble is a bit beyond her. "Will it be given a chance to offer input on the blue prints?"
Ratchet nods simply. "How long until the development process ends and the construction starts?
"Of course." Hoist says with a chuckle, though there's an odd tone to it. "Just... Don't take offense if he doesn't listen. Once he gets a... Vision, if you will, of something in his processor, he's very hard to sway off it." He looks over at Ratchet when he asks the question, considering. "A few more cycles, most likely. If everything remains on track, we should be finished within two orns."
Lifeline narrows her optics at Hoist but then has to glance at Ratchet to see if the two orn esitmate is a resonable one.
Ratchet shrugs at Lifeline. "It's done when it's done," he says.
"It looks like it'll be really nice," First Aid peers over Lifeline's shoulder.
Category:LogsCategory:2011 LogsCategory:Grimlock's LogsCategory:Hammerstrike's LogsCategory:Ratchet's LogsCategory:Lifeline's LogsCategory:First Aid's LogsCategory:Swoop's LogsCategory:Grapple's LogsCategory:Hoist's Logs