The Diego Diaries: Trial (dd6 211)
-0-In a courtroom
"He punched him hard. Then they brawled. It was awful," Tika said. "I was on Major Lennox's side."
"What happened then?" Coln asked.
"Well … they finished the brawl. Johnson was on the floor and Lennox was very angry. They went downstairs to the ground floor where Chief Springer and Commander Drift had just arrived. They were there to take him away and none too soon, if you ask me," Tika said with some offense. He was terribly nervous and didn't look at Johnson. He kept his optics fixed upon Coln-2. "They took him away as an arrested person."
Coln quashed a grin as he listened to the tiny mech who was a grandfather and a sweet highly skilled guy. "I see. What about now? How do you feel about your job and the atmosphere of Earth2?"
"I love my job. The humans there are very nice but I don't think I can go back there if he stays. I find him very intimidating," Tika said. "Siso told me that I could probably harm him greatly if there was a … a fight between him and me but I don't even like the idea of that. I'm a peaceable mech, Mr. Coln-2. I do believe in the Better Path."
Coln nodded. "I can see that, Tika. Thank you."
Highrode stood. "Tika, you followed protocols for strange or alarming situations and fled to the deck, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Highrode," he replied.
"You could have harmed him greatly even though you didn't or wouldn't want to, right?" Highrode asked.
"That's what Siso said. I personally don't know much about that. My children are peaceable. We raised them that way. I set the example for my grandchildren. I have to be a good mech," he said. "Fighting isn't being a good mech to me."
Highrode nodded. "But the truth is, Tika, you could have defended yourself. He couldn't have hurt you if he tried. Right?"
Tika considered that, then ventured a glance at Johnson. "I didn't know that at the time and I would never do that to anyone."
"But you could have. Had he tried to hurt you, you could have easily fended him off," Highrode asked.
Tika shrugged. "I suppose I could."
"You're Cybertronian and very tough. You have very tough armor from the looks of you. He wouldn't be able even with a human gun or knife to harm you," Highrode said.
"I suppose but I didn't know that at the time. It was very confusing and frightening," he said, then leaned closer. "I thought I had done something wrong."
"No more questions," Highrode said.
Tika glanced at Semi who grinned at him. "Thank you, Tika. You may go."
"Do I have to work with him there, your honor? I would find that difficult now," Tika said softly as he leaned toward Semi.
"I would talk to Siso, Tika. He would have the best advice for you," Semi said.
The little mech nodded, bowed slightly, then hurried toward the door where he left. It was silent a moment as Coln talked to Bill and Warren. Then he glanced at Matins and called his next witness. Everyone waited as Matins, the bailiff called him in. Springer walked in, a tall handsome mech with a lanky manner and good humor. He smirked at Ratchet who smirked back, then walked to the stand. Silver turned to him and swore him to the truth. He looked at Johnson, grinned, then turned to Coln.
"Chief Springer, what happened when you were called to Earth2?" Colie asked.
"We were on our beat. We, my bond and I along with a couple of trainees were riding our beat near Tyger Pax when the call came to us. There was a fight at Earth2 and a possible trespass on Prime's sovereign territory so we beat it there and went inside. When we were allowed in, the whole place was there including a bloodied Lennox and a number of soldiers who were surrounding Johnson and Harris. He was there with the same men sitting with him now.
"Mr. Harris wanted to settle this on the spot. He asked for a number of options none of which we were able to give him. This was a serious breach and even if I had the authority to decide such things on the spot which I don't, I wouldn't have for that reason. We pulled an environmental box which some of us carry because we have humans on-world and put him in it. We took him to the Courthouse Jail and got him booked. He spent the night in the special lockups for humans and we're here now."
"You didn't see the fight?" Colie asked.
"No," Springer said with a grin. "We missed that epic encounter." He grinned at Lennox who smirked back.
"You just had him to escort. Tell me about the requests to settle it on the spot with Mr. Harris and his colleagues," Colie asked.
"Your honor, that's not a part of the issue. It's a normal thing for Mr. Harris to try and mitigate the damage that this action might have to the reputation of Earth2 and its population as well as the relationship with the colonial government of the Prime. We aren't contesting Mr. Harris's efforts to end this in a decent way."
"I would like to ascertain the latitude that this man had to offend freely. The Charter of Earth2 is a very complicated, highly detailed and debated document. It took a long time to agree to the rules and I would like to know if the intention of Earth2 to hold to them is a firm thing or if it has elasticity due to Mr. Harris's attitudes about it," Colie said.
"Objection overruled. Please answer," Semi said.
"Mr. Harris wanted to end the arrest and keep Johnson, punishing him according to their rules and his decision. He was insistent that if it could be affected, it would be a better deal all around. He was apologetic but insistent about taking care of it himself," Springer said.
"Then in that conversation, did it appear to you that he was honoring the rules and regulations agreed upon in the negotiations of the charter?" Colie asked.
"Objection," Highrode said. "You're calling for an opinion."
"A professional one. I'm seeking to know if the leadership of the habitat holds to the laws and regulations agreed upon and if Mr. Johnson was acting out of a belief that he was free to rampage at will. We have our people there and I want to know if this is a one off or worse," Colie argued.
"Overruled. Please reply. I'm seeking your professional, not personal opinion, Springer," Semi said.
He nodded. "I thought it was maybe emotionally reasonable but professionally unprofessional to ask for special treatment for someone he was responsible for and who acted with a very serious disregard for the rules and regulations that we agreed upon in negotiations. I sat through a number of them to parse out jurisdictions and expectations regarding the law and who had what authority over which and sundry infractions. I know that Mr. Harris and his colleagues know what the rules of the road are. He was asking for special treatment and I don't have that authority."
"Thank you," Colie said as he sat.
"Mr. Springer, have you ever had anyone ask for a break or second chance at the point of arrest?" Highrode asked.
"All the time," Springer said with a grin.
"Have you ever granted that?" Highrode asked.
"It depends. I have a lot of latitude on some things that present themselves as teachable moments or involved someone who's impaired or doesn't know. The refugees have a time just understanding what freedom and equality means for them. I've taken a lot of kids home to their families for high grade offenses though I could have arrested them. I've taken some mechs and femmes to the hospital or mental health intake when I could have thrown them in jail. Its a matter of experience and the moment," Springer said.
"Why didn't you agree to a lesser action than jail for Mr. Johnson? Why didn't you allow Mr. Harris to handle this infraction and punish Johnson himself?" Highrode asked.
"Because this wasn't a simple thing. This was a territorial breach of the Prime's sovereignty and it had interplanetary consequences. Because it was a border breach, its up to the courts and Prime himself how many times he wants to deal with this offense. Sometimes, when you take a kid home to be spanked by their mama, they end up in trouble again anyway. Sometimes it takes strong medicine to take care of the problem. I don't have authority to handle on my own the outcomes of federal offenses. This wasn't kids drinking or tagging. This was a violent encounter and a territorial trespass," Springer said.
"So … you'll allow things that might involve our people but not the humans. What's your professional opinion of humans?" Highrode asked.
"Objection. Subjective commentary," Coln said though he had no leg to stand upon.
Highrode who knew that grinned. "I'm asking for professional rather than personal commentary."
Semi grinned, then nodded. "Please answer the question."
Springer looked at Lennox who looked pensive, then Johnson who looked pissed. "I've had lots of contact with the humans here. I like them. They have balls," he said, then caught himself. He smirked slightly. "They're tough and mostly good. Some are irritating like Michael Bay, and others aren't. I have no problem with humans on a professional basis. They understand, respect and follow the law. The humans I know, I like. The soldiers fight, have guts and make me laugh. In a good way. Some humans like Leonora Huttle are great. I love all the kids. They love and get us. The kids are the best."
"What about those at Earth2?" Highrode asked. "Earth 1, Sciences … what about them?"
"Those at Earth 1 and Sciences I know the best. The Family Tower and N.E.S.T. as well. I love Judy Witwicky because she's stand up. So are the wives of the soldiers. The Earth 1 and Sciences humans are fine. I love the Teasdale Twins because they make me laugh and they love and get us, too. I don't know Earth2 very much but the few I've met around love it here and appreciate being among us. I have no problems with them."
"Thank you," Highrode said. "No further questions."
Springer was dismissed so he walked to Ratchet and sat down.
"I would like to call Drift," Colie said.
Drift entered, was sworn in and backed up Springer's account. Highrode questioned him and asked the same questions. "What about the humans, Commander?"
"I like the humans. They have a lot of courage to face us the way they do and they're funny. I like their wives and kids, their families. We have a lot of things in common and a lot of experience with each other. I have no problems with humans. But I will say … I don't care for this one," he said nodding to Johnson.
"Why?" Highrode asked.
"He has no respect," Drift said simply.
"For you? For us? For what?" Highrode asked.
"All of that and for himself. He has the opportunity to live on another world among another species, to see and do things that seven billion of his fellows can't. He treats that and those around him like garbage. I don't respect that or him," Drift said.
Highrode stared at him, then nodded. "Thank you. No more questions."
Coln stood. "Commander … does that have any bearing on how you will treat anyone in the line of your duty?"
"No," Drift said. "I just find it surprising how little gratitude Mr. Johnson has for his circumstances. I wouldn't allow that to affect my job but it does baffle me a bit."
"Thank you," Coln said. "No more questions."
Drift joined Ratchet and Springer. Coln turned to the audience noting Prowl and Ratchet among others. "I would call Ambassador Ratchet to the stand."
Ratchet, with surprise stood, then walked up to be sworn in. He turned toward Colie and waited.
"Ambassador, you led the negotiations at all stages for each habitat to be built here, correct?" he asked.
"That's correct," Ratchet aka R said.
"You led the negotiations with Earth2 both in person and via closed circuit transmission. You have a bit of time with the leadership and know them better than the rest of us because of it, correct?" -C2
"Correct. I probably know them as well as anyone," Ratchet said.
"Tell us a bit about the security arrangements and agreements that led to Mr. Johnson being here with his colleagues. I'm told that they number about seven." -C2
"We made an agreement that what happened inside the habitat that didn't involve bodily harm was the purview of the administration there. If there was a murder, battery or an accident that involved death, they would allow us to investigate and help resolve the issue. That would make the situation part of Prime's overall responsibility. Anything short of that was theirs. We also made it clear that the command center with its tech was off limits and part of the sovereign territory of the Prime of Cybertron, rather like consular or embassy territory.
"There was a lot of back and forth but in the end, the agreement we signed together included a number of jurisdictions and special circumstances. Anything that involved harm to a human fell under our review. Anything that led to murder or accidental death would be investigated by us. We're a sovereign and lawfully led entity because of our Prime. Earth2 is a civilian administered corporate entity that has no lawfully elected administration. It has no laws beyond the charter and company rules because it stated it would be so on Earth due to having so much private funding and a corporate board that manages things.
"It's outside the direct interventional purview of the United Nations because of this, though there are general agreements to hold to basic legal frameworks due to the different nationalities, all of which are too general for me to be comfortable with. I believe they need more delineation. Earth 1 is in association with the United Nations and thus, has its own protocols and lawful procedures based on Earth legal systems. Sciences, N.E.S.T. and the Consulate are part of the United Nations dominion and thus, they are held to the laws of Earth as organized through the treaty agreements and various governments that have personnel here.
"Because Earth2 wouldn't place itself under United Nations control, we insisted that there be a framework for legal disputes, criminal conduct and the like between us and them. We wouldn't tolerate unlawful or illegal conduct at the habitat on world. They also had no authority to reject us coming there for such things because they aren't under the umbrella of a country's control and have no diplomatic immunity. They're a business entity. If we didn't insist upon this, Earth2 would be an autonomous entity that could do whatever it wanted. We wouldn't agree to that and that's why it took so long to make this habitat a reality. They agreed and thus, we have standing and they have to subordinate themselves to us when the situation calls for it.
"For this case, when the fight broke out, that wouldn't rise to the level of our intervening if it had been between two humans. But it involved our citizen and it also included the trespassing element. That made it our case and our jurisdiction. Mr. Harris understood that when he sighed the treaty agreements and the security protocols. If any of our people are abused, we can make an arrest. If anyone enters our territory on Earth2 or breaks the rules regarding the colony … say the Temple … we can arrest them. Johnson is here because he broke several rules that Earth2 agreed would trigger our participation when they sighed the agreements. There will be no get out of jail card for anyone here."
"Thank you, Mr. Ambassador."
"Ambassador Ratchet, it would seem that the habitat is rather at the mercy of the Prime," Highrode said. "It would seem that he could intervene when he chose over issues that may or not rise to the level of such action."
"If Prime were that sort of mech, yes. He's not Sentinel, however, and the agreements are painfully explicit on the triggers because we had to go that route with Harris. He argued every minute part of the documents. That's why we are very clear about the legal standing we have in this case. It would be counterproductive to everyone if we didn't follow mutually agreed rules and protocols each time something came up. This is the first time that a human has been arrested here in the entirety of the colony. That is how few times Prime intervenes. If the habitat had submitted to the United Nations, they would have had a less hard time getting certified and handling events like this but they didn't. They wouldn't. And I would like to say, this isn't the wild west. We can't have entities among us that have no laws beyond whatever the management says at the moment. We're a nation of laws, us Cybertronians, and so will the humans be as well."
"I have no more questions," Highrode said.
Ratchet was excused and walked to his chair to sit. Highrode chatted with the humans on his team, then vented a sigh. Frowning, he looked at Harris who shrugged slightly. "Your honor," he said as he turned toward Semi. "I have advised against it but he insists. James Johnson wishes to testify."
:This should be great:
Ratchet glanced at Prowl who was sitting in his chair with his arms crossed over his chassis. A frown of disgust was on his handsome face.
:I certainly hope so, Prowler: Ratchet replied as James Wayne Johnson of Chicago, Illinois was released from his box.
-0-TBC 12-06-17 edited 1-10-18