Chapter 4
The Elders
The first 'suspect' on my list of interviewees was none other than First Representative Mabus. He invited us into his private quarters for the interview and, as usual, was very accommodating. He didn't seem bothered by our interrogation, and treated the whole thing very seriously. Now, I'm pretty good at telling when someone's lying, or if they're hiding something, and I can confidently say that Mabus hasn't a clue about why anyone would have wanted to terminate Gadrin.
Representative Karlin's responses were predictable. He reassured us that he has no idea who would have wanted Gadrin assassinated, though he did confess to having exchanged some heated words with him after yesterday's meeting. According to Karlin, Gadrin had strongly opposed the proposition to allow a Decepticon to join the Committee, something that Karlin was all for.
Next on my list was Commissioner Balek who, we discovered, was originally from Orbita but now resided on Paradisia. He had agreed to meet us at the Hub's public square, and was accompanied by two of his assistants. He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and rushed through some of his answers, so Vortex reminded him that he was under the Committee's directive to answer all our questions as best he could, and that he should leave nothing out.
"I don't know what else I can tell you. My job is to make certain that Paradisia's representatives abide by all codes and regulations as set forth in our official charter. I am quite happy to provide you with a copy of that charter, uh…" He faltered, had trouble recalling my name.
So I reminded him. "Swindle."
"Ah. Yes, Swindle."
"In your professional opinion, Commissioner, have all officials abided by your codes?" I asked him.
"Yes, yes, of course. Like I said, it'll all be in my report. I'll have one of my assistants transfer you a copy as soon as it is complete."
We had no further questions for Balek. The next official on my list would have been Ambassador Shantar but, as Starscream had mentioned earlier, she'd pulled a vanishing act and was nowhere to be found.
"Now what?" Vortex asked me.
"Now, the esteemed Elders," I replied.
"Oh, this is going to be interesting," my partner said, with only a hint of sarcasm.
Alpha Trion was the first we questioned of the two. He said he'd meet us at the crystalline cavern, the one that contained that energizer. It was an odd place to meet, but he reassured us that he would be there alone, and that we would have sufficient privacy. I wanted to ask him why he should be concerned with privacy, but then I thought better of it. We'd let him choose the meeting place. What difference did it make, anyway?
Ten minutes later, Vortex and I arrived at the cavern. Alpha Trion was sitting on one of the translucent crystal mounds, smoothed at the top to form a seat. The entire cavern sparkled with brilliant colors, and we were once again taken by the beauty of this natural structure.
"I'd never thought I'd see the day," Alpha Trion said, as soon as he sensed us walk in. His back was turned to us.
I cleared my vocal processor, more to signal our arrival than anything else. "And what day would that be, Alpha Trion?"
He turned around slowly. "Eh, the day that Decepticons would demand recognition on equal terms." He sounded tired, as if he had lived through too many battles, seen too many wars.
"Is that really so far-fetched?" I ventured. "I mean, if you think about it Cybertron is our home just as much as it is the Autobots'."
"Perhaps, but the Decepticons were never designed to hold any independent positions of power." I could see that the Elder wasn't trying to be disrespectful; he was only sharing what he considered to be simple truth.
"Oh, yeah? Then what were we designed for, Alpha Trion?" Vortex was trying hard not to show anger, and was doing a rather admirable job of it, I thought.
But the Elder didn't seem to take him the wrong way. As I said, he hadn't tried to be disrespectful. "To do, and not think." He paused in thought, observing us both. "But, inevitably, time changes all things… and nothing can stay the same. If we, as a species, cannot adapt to change then, sooner or later, we will all perish."
"So, you're saying that we should be given representation on the Committee?" I asked him, quite intrigued.
Alpha Trion shrugged. "That is not for me alone to judge." He paused again in thought. "I have existed a long time… long before any of you were even created. There were far less of us in those days, when Cybertron was still young. Quite frankly, not one of us ever imagined that your kind would survive more than a few millennia. In fact, there were times when your kind had come close to the brink of extinction. But, each time, the hand of Primus intervened, and you have survived to this day."
I've got to make another confession. I'm a history buff – Cybertronian history, that is – and the more ancient or obscure the stories, the more I like to hear them. So, you can imagine my delight when Alpha Trion began to speak of days now long gone.
But, anyway, I was sure that the Elder was trying to get to a point. He shook his head slowly. "I cannot tell you how many times I have wished for peace for our world… but, alas, there are far too many irreconcilable differences between your kind and the Autobots, that I fear any attempt to see optic to optic can only end in failure and mistrust, as it has already been proven too many times before." He stood up and walked towards us with a purposeful gait. "But that is not the reason you have come to speak with me."
I glanced at Vortex, who had been contemplating Alpha Trion's words. "We're here to ask you about Gadrin. Do you have any idea who may have assassinated him, or why?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
Alpha Trion sighed. "I'm afraid that I do not. Gadrin was most supportive of our efforts. He had worked closely with the Autobot leader many times. I simply cannot understand why anyone would want to do away with him."
"So, there's nothing you can tell us about Gadrin or the circumstances of his death that might help us find his killer?" I asked him.
"Hm." Alpha Trion rubbed his chin in thought. "There is one minor detail, though I doubt it will prove to be of any worth to your investigation."
"Tell us, anyway," Vortex said. "Any minor detail is better than none."
"Gadrin was somewhat distracted of late. Possibly a result of the mounting political tensions within the Orbita cluster." From what I'd heard, relations between Paradisia and the Orbita cluster went way back – in fact, Orbita is one of the few foreign empires that has a long established alliance with Paradise Planet. "Also, he and the Ambassador had been spending more time together."
"You mean Ambassador Shantar?" I asked.
"Yes, yes," he clarified, and then added as an after-thought, "of course, they'd known each other a very long time. I'd never imagine that she might have had anything to do with his…" Alpha Trion trailed off, waving his hand, not needing to finish the sentence.
"You have any idea where she might be?" Vortex asked him.
The Elder shook his head. "I'm afraid I do not. Perhaps she has returned home."
"Without waiting around for the Committee's decision? Seems kinda odd, don't you think?" I pointed out, but Alpha Trion had nothing further to contribute on the subject, and so Vortex and I left it at that.
We went in search of our next subject for interrogation. Unlike Alpha Trion, Traachon was far from helpful. His tone of voice seemed to indicate that he considered us wholly unworthy of even approaching him, and was strongly reluctant to answer any of our questions. But his attitude towards Vortex and I didn't come as any surprise to me. It's well known among Cybertronians that many of the Elders – to put it bluntly – hate Decepticons with a passion, and Traachon was no exception.
"If you're not going to talk to us, Traachon, I'll just have to take you on a personal tour of the great canyons… I'm sure you'll appreciate their beauty. The view from the bottom is truly unique," my team mate threatened him.
"You wouldn't dare!" Traachon seethed.
"Try me," Vortex replied, quite serious about making good on his offer.
Traachon glared at us with a look that could have torn us up into tiny, little shreds. "Of course, why should I expect better from abhorrent mechanoids such as yourselves?"
"Hey, take it easy," I said to the Elder, as I held Vortex back with one hand. "We only want to find out what happened to Gadrin–"
"Ah, yes, but only if you can profit from it! I sincerely pray that your kind is never allowed a place on the Committee."
I tried to ignore his cutting comments as best I could. "Well, regardless, you still have to answer our questions," I reminded him.
"I don't have to do anything," he began, but then backed away as Vortex stepped towards him, grabbing him.
"How about that tour, Traachon?" my partner reminded the Elder.
"Let go of me!" he said, struggling, until he finally decided that arguing with two Combaticons probably wasn't a smart idea, after all. "Alright, alright! I'll answer your questions, just let go of me."
I nodded to Vortex, who released his grip on the Elder. "Good. Now that that's settled, we can get started. How well did you know Representative Gadrin?" I asked. "Did he have any enemies?"
Traachon gave us both a disdainful look, but then answered my questions, carefully selecting his words. "There were a minority who were opposed to his ideals. However, he also had a large number of supporters – many of them in high positions."
"Uh huh. And who were these minority?" I queried him.
Traachon was reluctant to answer, but then he shrugged it off. "Karlin was probably his strongest opposition. Perhaps you should question him."
"Is there anyone else?" I asked, ignoring his suggestion.
"No one that comes to mind," he said stoically.
"Alright." I moved on to my next question. "Do you know what Gadrin may have been doing just before he was assassinated?"
Traachon shook his head in frustration. "No! I did not speak to him again after the meeting. I have no idea what happened to him." Traachon took a few moments to recompose himself. "Now, if there are no further questions, I really do have some important things to attend to."
I didn't have anything further to ask him, so we let him go. Apparently, helping us find Gadrin's assassin wasn't a top priority for the Elder.
