This one is a little shorter.
"Starscream, once Second in Command of the Decepticon faction. We hereby declare you guilty on all charges."
Starscream lowered his helm, looking at not only his pedes but his cuffed servos.
Ever since Ratchet had received the message, the Seeker had been preparing himself for his trial. Physically and mentally.
His frame was left with just a numbing pain but his legs were still quite sore as he stood before the high council. He glanced up at them. Well, they weren't really the high council since they consisted of the five highest ranking Autobot officers. Ultra Magnus was one of them and of course the head of the five. The other four were slightly recognizable. One he believes is named Ironhide. The names for the other three Autobots had slipped his mind.
He looked back down, gritting his denta, shifting his weight from one pede to the other. His legs were really hurting him but he had to keep standing there until the trial was over.
"After much discussion," Ultra Magnus continued. "We have decided on your sentence. Do you have anything to say before we continue?"
Starscream shook his helm, "No," he said, keeping his helm down.
Ultra Magnus nodded his helm, accepting the Seeker's answer, "On normal terms, you would be deactivated but that was during the war. Since the war is over, we won't have that as your sentence. Optimus Prime wouldn't want that for anyone. So, after much consideration, we have decided on having you arrested for your crimes."
Starscream closed his optics, servos clenching into fists.
"But."
Starscream looked up then at the blue mech.
Ultra Magnus rested his servos on the table in front of him, his digits interlacing, "Because of a certain mech's rather persuasive argument, showing a great deal of dedication and loyalty to you to not have you arrested, we decided to drop that sentence and give you a different one."
Starscream frowned, looking totally confused. Who would show that much dedication and loyalty? No one ever did.
Ultra Magnus put a digit to the side of his helm, to his comm. link, "Let him in Ratchet."
The sound of the doors opening somewhere behind him was heard but Starscream didn't turn around to see who it was that came in. He just continued to stand there as he heard two sets of steps come up beside him. One was pretty moderate, the other strangely... aloof?
"Nice to see you again Screamer."
The all too familiar voice made Starscream turn his helm quickly to the red mech that now stood beside him. It was Knock Out and the Seeker was too speechless to respond to his sudden appearance.
Ratchet stood behind the red mech, arms crossed and looking rather unimpressed with the younger medic.
"Knock Out."
Said mech turned to look at Ultra Magnus. Starscream did as well.
"Are you still willing to go along with the choice that you have made?" Ultra Magnus asked. "There is no backing down from this."
Knock Out nodded his helm, "Yes... sir."
The blue mech turned to face the Seeker,"Then I sentence you, Starscream, to live out the rest of your life integrating yourself back into society as a Cybertronian, not a Decepticon. Since it is unlikely that anyone else would take you, Knock Out has agreed in letting you stay with him. But because of both of your Decepticon pasts, someone, most likely an Autobot, would check up on you both frequently."
Starscream's optics widened. After hearing all that, he had no idea what to say or how to react.
"I know that none of the Autobots, that fought on Earth, will like the choice of sentence for you but I know that they would agree that Optimus would," Ultra Magnus picked up a mallet, hitting it against the table. "This trial is adjourn, you are free to go."
Once the five high ranking officers stood from their seats and turned to leave out the doors behind them, Starscream could only feel relief flood through his frame and his legs finally gave out under him.
Knock Out was the closest and he reacted fast enough to catch him before he hit the floor. With the help of Ratchet on the other side, they helped Starscream out of the trial room, having an arm over each of their shoulders after the old medic had removed the cuffs from the Seeker's servos.
Starscream couldn't help feeling that he should thank the red medic, "Uh, Knock Out, I uh..."
Knock Out smiled, keeping his optics forward, "I told you that I was doing it as a favor so you don't need to thank me," he glanced at the Seeker. "I already know that you're grateful anyway, even though you won't actually admit it."
Ratchet frowned on the other side, "What is this about a favor?"
Knock Out chuckled, "Sorry Ratchet, I kind of visited Starscream again after that one time you caught me in his room."
Ratchet didn't look impressed but then his mood softened, nodding his helm after, "It's a good thing you did then. I don't think being in prison would be easy for him since he still hasn't fully recovered from his injuries," he paused, narrowing his optics. "So, what's this about a favor?"
As Knock Out tried to swerve around the question again but ended up failing and told Ratchet anyway, receiving a rather hard hit in the back of the helm from a wrench, the two medics didn't see the rather content smile on the Seeker's faceplate.
Starscream was relieved. That's all that mattered to him. Now he can go ahead and try to find the bot that he would like to spend the rest of his life with. His smile faltered. Hopefully he can find them or actually build up the courage to find that bot.
Now that he thought about it, he was rather nervous in actually going out and looking. It was different and totally new to him that he had no idea on where to start. He guessed that he was going to have to do some more reading.