The Diego Diaries: Life (dd6 290)
-0-That afternoon
Prowl sat at the center table in Ops Center working on a stack of slag that piled up during the trial. He was waiting for Ratchet to arrive so they could discuss the incoming refugees that would be arriving in groups of ten thousand in two orns. They would be gathering together half a million before this prepped group would be cleared. More were coming and many were already in the camps that Dai Atlas and his group ran in the hinterlands far away. This would be an enormous help, bridging so many away. More would always come. They were finding groups small and large everywhere.
The afternoon had only one small glitch for him, the short side trip he had taken to visit his grand genitors. They had a business in Crystal City, a large and beautiful office space with work rooms, offices, storehouses for supplies and things needed for their products, whatever that was, computers that were hooked into the commercial and research sectors of Teletraan III, a reception room, and lots of space to branch out for whatever they needed to do their work.
Prowl had gathered himself, then walked into the reception room. It was already impeccable. The furnishings were expensive and familiar, the kind of solid display he remembered from the past. They had such massive wealth that they owned a tower in Praxus and placed their own offices in the penthouse. They had a lot of smart people working for them and they had entree to anywhere they wanted to go. They wined and dined with everyone who counted, though they preferred smart people to any other kind.
The images on the walls reminded him of the landscapes that were on the walls of their home office, though those were enormously famous originals by the artists themselves. No one was around so he walked down the corridor, passing impeccable offices with impeccable furnishings. When he reached a work room, he found them. They were bent over a computer datapad, one that lay on a drafting table. They were discussing the details of something or other off line. He almost turned around to leave when his Appa spoke. "Hello, Prowl. Please come in."
Prowl entered, then walked to the table as the two turned to look at him. He stared at the designs. "Interesting. Still in transition or are you nearing completion?"
"We're far from that golden moment," Zenith said. "How are you this morning?"
"I'm fine," Prowl replied. "I came to inquire about you. You have a habit of disappearing into your work so I came to see what you might require. Have you eaten anything?"
They glanced at each other, then him. "No," Shadow said with a slight grin. "You remember well."
Prowl grinned in spite of himself. "Should I send you food or are you going somewhere to eat?"
"We're rather stuck on a problem and would like to dine in. However, we are not yet up to the nuances."
"I will order you breakfast, then program good places for this sort of thing for you into your system," he said as he walked to the wall communicator nearby. Opening the colony directory, he scrolled through the listings, organized them under headings for the different meals, then programmed a save. He ordered food to be delivered, then commed off. "Your system is programmed. When they come, I told them to come in and set it on the front desk. I would hope you remember to eat it before too long. The delivery has been notified that you're working on science and that you might not hear them. All of the scientists in the colony have the same problem now and again. They're used to it."
"Thank you, Prowl," Zenith said. "What have you been working on lately? Anything interesting?"
Prowl considered the question. "You haven't heard the news."
"No. We've been rather involved," Shadow said nodding to the datapad.
"Uh … I don't know if you've heard about the Functionalist Council … we captured them and their group," Prowl said.
The two glanced at each other, then him. "No," Zenith said. "They're wanted, I know, for many crimes in the past."
"They were wanted for them now as well. Before they left their colony to come here they recalled half a million of our people," Prowl said. "The trial was held over the past few orns. You didn't hear about it?"
"No. Sorry, Prowl," Shadow said. "What was the outcome? I'm assuming this was a Council hearing?"
"It was. They stuck by their guns. They didn't defend themselves but reiterated their beliefs. Optimus had no other choice but to declare them guilty and impose a million year sentence in stasis for them," Prowl said.
"That seems fair," Zenith said. "Sentinel would have them executed."
"We don't execute," Prowl said stiffly. "It was taken out of our servos in the end anyway."
Shadow straightened slightly. "The Pantheon weighed in then?"
Prowl nodded. "The Pantheon, all of Them along with Primus Himself. When Optimus went to the Matrix, all of us involved in the trial went as well."
They stared at him for a moment, then Zenith leaned against the drawing table regarding his grandson for a moment. "You went, too? Remarkable."
"We all did, even the witnesses, the counsels, security … all of us including Optimus and the defendants. We were in a simulation of the beach house on the Sea of Mercury, the Prime Residence there. They came out of the sea and gathered before us."
"Go on," Zenith said as he nodded.
"They were happy to see us and gave us all a personal nod which was a glorious thing, I will tell you. They did, however, hold Their pleasure with the Council and their assistants. There were 34 on trial. They expressed Their deep displeasure. They spoke of our free will and how we were always loved, all of us equally. They expected us to love each other and how our failure to do so through the Quintessan Oppression, the Functionalist slavery and lastly, The System of Exception had caused terrific harm to all of us and mostly, to the Person of Primus. They were very unhappy about all of it and They made it very clear."
It was very silent in the room. Shadow who was staring at him without expression nodded. "Please continue, Prowl."
"They made it clear to everyone that They expected better. They took the Council of Twelve back … They recalled them. They said they were too dangerous to leave alive among us because they were cold sparked killers. They said it would happen again and again and again. That was when Primus stepped from the sea." Prowl thought about the beautiful figure of his personal favorite with his great and loving beauty. "You should have seen Him," Prowl whispered. "He was beautiful and love personified. He greeted us, too, speaking to Optimus as a father to a son. All of Them called Optimus brother. They saw him as the best among those who had ever lead us. Primus was angry. He said that the actions of oppression had harmed Him. He was the access point to The One and the Matrix. The Matrix was a part of him that was the place where all of us returned first, where the Gatekeeper waited. He saw every death, ever dead child, every broken spark. He was tired of it. He was angry and made it clear that it would never happen again."
It was so quiet Prowl could hear machines in the background.
"He spoke of unity and how we all were one. He said there was no hierarchy, not between us and not between Them and us. We all came from the same source. He was angry that we didn't learn. Vector said there was no path down which one could go with the System or the Functionalists that didn't end in death and destruction. Onyx agreed. Primus then said He would take the assistants. They vanished. He said that they could return if they changed and learned another path, the one that He and The One had always expected that we would take. He at that point banished for all time any system of oppression that pitted some above all others. He said that they were over and would never return. He also said and the others concurred that if they ever rose again in any form, He would personally intervene to end it." Prowl shrugged slightly. "It was a miraculous interlude. Then we were back again, here in the courthouse."
Zenith and Shadow stared at him. Then Zenith stood. "There were others there … those who saw and heard the same thing?" he asked.
"Yes, Appa, there was. Lauren, Alpha, Chrome … Master Cyclonus of the Monastery … they were all there to speak to the religious blasphemy that underpins the process. Heatout of the Circle was there. Many were. Optimus delivered the verdict and told of this conclusion in an empire-wide broadcast following the event. It should be in the folder of IntraComm in the Community Bulletin Board." He stared at them and between them lay the chasm that had divided them from his youth. "Is there anything I can do for you before I go on duty, Appa? Amma?" he asked.
"No," Zenith said as Shadow nodded. "Thank you for your help, grandson. We appreciate it."
Prowl nodded. "Well, its my honor," he said. "Ops Center is in the directory and you can call me off line. I'll see you soon then." He looked around. "This is very nice. I'm very happy that you've found what you want to do."
"Thank you, Prowl, for assisting us," Shadow said.
Prowl nodded, then walked out to leave. They followed and when he reached the door the delivery of their food was there. He took the box, thanked the kid, then set it on the front desk. He opened it and put the food on the table. "Enjoy," he said with a grin. Then he walked out.
They stared at the door as it closed, then the food. Without a word, they walked to the desk and sat. It would be a while before they spoke. It would take a while to digest the news.
-0-Ops Center
Ratchet wandered in with Halo on his arm. Her pretty 'hair' hung over his arm sparkling in the light. He sat, then stared at his empty arm. Grinning at Prowl, he sat back and put his peds up on a chair. "Slagger. I see you haven't lost it."
"I never will. They're all mine," Prowl said with a grin. He lay her on the table, then smoothed her glittering hair out. "This is nice. Solus has a more filament style but this is flatter and wider."
"I sort of think of it as fettuccine-like while Solus is angel hair spaghetti." Prowl glanced up at Ratchet who gifted him with an Orion-sized smile. "I'm hungry. You had lunch?"
"No."
"Take a break, slagger. Let's eat," Ratchet said as he stood.
Prowl glanced at Trailbreaker nearby. "I'm going to lunch with Loon, Trailbreaker. If I don't he'll hurt himself walking to the door."
"A mercy lunch then," Trailbreaker said as he glanced over his shoulder from Tactical.
"Someone has to keep him from stepping on his own face," Prowl said as he stood and tucked Halo into his arm. "You know how he is."
Everyone in the room laughed as Ratchet stood to follow. A nice rap on Prowl's noggin helped grease the way. They wandered out, then walked down Fortress Road to the intersection. The lights were good so they continued until they reached The Diner On The Corner. Entering, they found a booth and settled with Halo laying on the table by the window. She drifted into recharge as they ordered and settled back.
"You're especially feisty today which is a nice way of saying you're an ass hole," Ratchet said with a smile.
A kick under the table put end to that as Prowl sat back with a smirk. "Takes one to know one. I do believe that's the proper response to your rather churlish insubordination."
"Insubordination? I've seen you drunk. Don't make me post videos," Ratchet said as he enjoyed the smirk fade from Prowl's impossibly handsome face.
"Cad."
"That's me," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. Their food and drink arrived so they dug in.
"I visited my appa and amma this morning. They have a nice office in Crystal City and are hard at it. I could have written the script when I saw them. They haven't changed a bit."
"You sort of lived in your office, too, if I remember right," Ratchet said. "I, on the other hand, find grinding drudgery and best boy slaggery less entertaining than fragging the old mech and pub crawling. Remember how I tried to get you to get loaded with me back in the orn? You were such a good boy, Prowler. I'd come to the HQ and needle you."
"You were a first class slagger. I remember. I never did go. I wish I had. It would've served Sentinel right," Prowl said.
"Have you ever told your genitors about him and you? Your appa and amma?" Ratchet asked because he was a snoop and a cad.
"No. My appa would beat him into a pulp. Hardie was right about him having skills. I'd have a hard time against him myself," Prowl said.
Ratchet nodded. "You know, Prowl, I don't see a lot of happiness in the high castes. Money and power didn't make life better. Such a load of bullocks." He grinned. "Did I ever tell you how much I like that word?"
"Many times and I agree with you. Did you notice how may of the bonds were so unhappy? By the way, I want to see the new baby. Rugur is a great name and it fits," Prowl said.
"They all fit, Prowler," Ratchet said with a grin. They would sit and chat, eat and then wander back. Newbies were coming, lost lambs from far away and they would be there to greet them.
-0-TBC 3-5-18 edited 03-10-18