The Diego Diaries: Decision (dd6 155)
-0-Park Land, Mare Tranquilitatis
"What now? Overtime?" Springer asked, then shrugged. He glanced at Hard Drive who shook his helm.
"No," Hardie said. "Three is enough." He had been discussing the situation off line, listening to the comments and suggestions of the court as they watched the surprisingly short and surprisingly unsurprising outcome of the tussle. The circle of mechs turned to the judges, their own expressions filled with curiosity as they waited for what was to come from the whole unfamiliar process.
Ratchet who had been briefed by Ironhide already knew what was to come, though the outcome of it all was still Hardie's to decide and announce. "You don't need more than three," he said, then glanced at Bezel who was standing to one side with his brother, outside of the big circle.
Bezel glanced at Ratchet, then Lon. It was then that he did the next thing. He walked to the court, then knelt down on one knee. He stared at the ground silently. Cargo who watched him, hesitated, then with enormous reluctance joined him. Springer turned to Ratchet. "What the frag is going on?"
Ratchet glanced at Hardie who winked at him. Ratchet grinned, then turned to the group. "What's happening is … they submitted to Hardie and the court, which means, infants, until Hardie decides the outcome, they don't exist."
Drift turned to Ratchet, then glanced at the two kneeling. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, they don't have any identity whatsoever until Hardie gives it back to them. They surrendered their identities to him until this was settled. Until Hardie decides, especially since its a draw encounter, they don't exist anywhere in their community. It's like they're invisible and no one will be able to see them. This is the penalty if it comes to a fight, to hand over your entire identity until the court decides if you deserve it back." He turned to Hardie. "Right?"
Hardie nodded. "When you come to the courts, you come as a being with an identity. There are only 2 ways to lose your identity and become invisible to our community. One is to be shunned. The others is to submit to a fight by handing over your identity, then failing to meet the conditions of The Code."
"That's fragged," Whirl said. He turned to the court. "You guys are fragged. Do you know that?"
Raptor laughed. "Most of us but there's some that need strong medicine."
"They're fragged. What a fragged system," Whirl said as he turned to Kup. Kup nodded in agreement.
"I was never so glad to be mid caste than right now," Springer said.
"You're mid caste?" Whirl asked. "Fragger. High tone."
The mechs laughed, then turned to the court again. "Sorry," Springer said.
Hardie nodded. "You're excused." He winked at them and they grinned. He looked at the two young mechs as Lon moved to stand behind Bezel, resting his servos on his shoulders. "Tell me, what did you learn?"
Cargo glanced at him, then shrugged. "Nothing, Abba. Not a thing."
"You, infant, what did you learn?" Hardie asked.
The youngster raised his helm. "I want my family together and I don't want to fight over dead things that are never coming back. Ada is the main worry I have with Atar coming second. I know he has things to stand for but I want him to have a chance. With Keystock and Cargo acting like they are, its not going to happen. This could kill Ada. He tried to kill himself once. He was happy tonight, really happy at dinner."
Hardie nodded. "Stand, Bezel."
Lon looked intensely relieved as Bezel stood. Hardie had called him by name. He had his identity back.
Bezel gripped Lon's servo as the two looked at the court and Hard Drive with concern. Hard Drive considered his words. "Your answer was a good one. Your outlook is for others. You care about the well being of your fathers and you want the best for your family. It's a miracle, Bezel, that you came through your life so kindly. I give you your life back. You owe this court nothing. I hold you faultless. The rest will follow in a moment."
Bezel looked almost limp with relief. He bowed at the waist, then stepped back into Lon who embraced him tightly from behind with his arms. Hard Drive turned his gaze to Cargo. After a moment, he spoke. "You, rise."
A gasp escaped Lon as Cargo hesitated, then rose. He stood uncertainly before Hard Drive. It was almost unbearably tense, then Hard Drive pronounced. "You are mine. I claim you. Your answer was selfish and lacking in self awareness. You have no world view beyond your own limitations so I am taking it upon myself to expand them. You will be called Cargo but until I give you back your identity, you do not exist.
"You will report to me to be my servant. You will carry out the duties assigned, travel where I go and see what I see. You will be coming and going to Cybertron and will be bound by the same limitations as anyone else who goes regarding the information you work with and the sights you will see. I will contact your employer and get you assigned to me until further notice. Until you are able to see beyond the end of your nose structure and feel even the slightest empathy to another point of view, you are mine."
Hardie looked at Bezel. "You are the victor. Your spark is filled with empathy and maturity. It hasn't been limited by your ideas or your life. Your two brothers have. Until your brother, Cargo, passes my inspection, he is mine. Short of being declared null, he will obey me. Maybe in the pursuit of the general good, he will find out that he is just another cog in a very great machine. Nothing more important, nothing less. All of us matter, especially now in our trying times. We lived. Over a billion didn't and who knows where the rest are. We have to live two lives, our own and theirs." He looked at Cargo who looked shocked and almost gray-faced. "You will treat your ada with respect and loving regard. I am told he tried to kill himself. A mech that tries once is highly likely to try again. If your father is trying and it appears that he is, you have a duty to support that. If that means you are separated from direct contact with them, consider it done. Do you understand me?"
Cargo stared at Hardie with a shocked expression, then almost contritely he nodded. "Yes, Abba."
"Good. Right now, I need you to go home and get some rest. You will be required to be at the airfield at 0600 on the dot. One second later than that and I will be most displeased. Understand?" Hardie asked in his even tone that brooked no nonsense.
Cargo nodded. He bowed slightly. "May I go now, Abba?"
"Only if you are clear on your assignment," Hardie said.
He nodded. "I am."
"Then shake servos with your brother and you may go," Hardie replied.
Cargo stared at Hard Drive, then turned to his brother. They stared at each other, then Cargo extended his servo. Bezel gripped it with an emotional expression. "Cargo … I just want us to …"
Cargo released Bezel's servo. He then turned toward the city and walked off. He was across the highway, then down the Metro Line in seconds. Bezel watched him go, then turned to the court. "He's not a bad mech, General."
"No, I can see that," Hardie said as he stood up, then stepped down from the table where he was sitting. "I have had a lot of younglings in my care over the eons, some of them much more difficult than your brother. I have had success with all of them. Your brother only thinks he's tough and entitled. He has never met me before today." He turned to Prime, then bowed. "I have taken this on, Optimus. It will be taken care off for the common good."
Prime nodded. "Thank you, General. I have confidence in your expertise."
Hardie turned back to Bezel. "Don't despair. Change is hard."
Bezel nodded, then stepped forward, hugging Hardie who hugged him back. "I love my life now. I love what I do. I want to serve," he said looking around the group. "I want to be of service."
"You are, infant," Springer said as Drift and the others nodded. "He will, too." Springer glanced at Hard Drive. "He will, won't he?"
Hardie laughed. "I don't give up. He's now a project. We have several. Speaking of which ..."
Partition hurried to the group, then paused beside Ironhide. Glancing around, he smiled. "What did I miss?" he asked to general laughter and hoo-haw.
-0-At The Man Cave, Tower 2
They sat in the chairs and couches as well as the tables around the room eating ice cream from the freezer nearby. The floating card game oddly enough wasn't underway tonight. It was fortunate. The place filled up with mechs decompressing from the hoo-haw. Bezel sat with Lon, leaning against his shoulder. He was lank with emotion. Sitting nearby, eating out of the same big bowl, Hard Drive and Turbine relaxed.
"You are a caution, Hardie," Turbine said as Delphi and Raptor joined them with heaping bowls of their own. "I expect that this one will fall before your wisdom in short order."
"I will expect it. He will comply. I also wish you to be his spiritual mentor. He appears to be lacking in the fundamentals," Hardie said.
Turbine grinned. "It will be my pleasure."
Partition who was eating from a big bowl across from them glanced up. "Abba, what are you going to do with him?"
"I am going to take him on inspection tomorrow." He grinned. "There has to be an upside to managing the Eighth District."
"That's Kaon through the wastelands to the north pole, right, Appa?" Drift asked.
"That's right. We have the worst area, the most damage and the most trouble on Cybertron. Cargo is going to earn his shanix tomorrow. I'm going to be touring for three orns, by the way," he said glancing at Delphi. "I'll meet up at your district at the end. We can have a dinner and see how together this kid is by then."
"I'm sure he's going to be fine," Delphi said with a grin. He looked at Ratchet. "You, on the other hand ..."
Ratchet looked at Delphi, then grinned. "Me? ME!ME!ME! IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT ME!"
Huge laughter erupted as Ratchet sat back, studying the sphinx-like calmness of Delphi for the joke that he usually slipped in so subtly that you only laughed two joors later. "Do tell."
"The protoform. When will you design it and when can we see" I would like to make a family rule. When Ironhide is in the doghouse, the rest of us are excused from the group punishment," Delphi said.
Huge agreement broke out among the family including Partition who grinned at Ratchet who grinned back at him. Ironhide frowned at Ratchet. "Slagger. I did make you show me Prowler. I have the charm," he said with a slight preen.
Everyone laughed that joke to death to Ironhide's delightfully frowny angst, then everyone turned to Ratchet. He smiled brilliantly. "Fraggers. No one sees the infant before the unveiling. You won't know gender, the exquisite protoform that I have in mind, none of it."
"Will it look like me?" Prime asked with a grin as Prowl stared at Ratchet hopefully.
"That crossed my processor," Ratchet said mysteriously.
"Fragger." -everyone
"Do you realize that the infant is projected to arrive on Halloween?" Ratchet said as he unsubbed a meter. He scanned himself, then smiled at the group. "Halloween."
"What the frag?" Ironhide said. "What about the kids trick-or-treating?"
A spoon bounced off his helm. Raptor glanced at Ratchet with admiration, then turned to Ironhide. "You are never going to learn."
Never truer words spoken.
-0 0555 Hours, the Military Airfield
Cargo walked across the airfield uncertain where to go. There was a big ship sitting nearby surrounded by soldiers, so he walked toward it, pausing by the mechs standing around it. "Where can I find General Hard Drive?" he asked.
The mechs looked at him, then nodded toward the hatch door. "Inside," one of them said.
Cargo nodded, then walked to the ramp, heading upward to pause in the doorway. Sitting inside, relaxing in a comfortable chair with a work datapad, Hard Drive glanced up. "On time. Good for you. I need a drink, infant. The dispenser is over there. No supplements. Hot and simple."
Cargo stared at Hard Drive who looked back calmly. Then he walked to the dispenser to get his boss a drink. Hot. Simple. No supplements.
-0-TBC 10-11-17 edited 10-12-17