The Diego Diaries: Trials and Tribulations 4 (dd6 427)
-0-Dai Atlas (God Map)
Dai Atlas, a HUGE figure of power, enigmatic and controversial from the past stood in the docket gathering his thoughts. He took the oath then turned to the small group watching. As he did, Ratchet slipped in and sidled to the bench where Ironhide and Hard Drive sat side-by-side. He sat, then squeezed Ironhide's servo. :What did I miss?:
"Appa telling it like it is. I got the film: Ironhide said with pride in his voice.
:Good: Ratchet said as Atlas began to speak.
"I don't remember not being alive. I do remember how terrible it was during the Quintessans. I also remember being alive before that. It's unclear but it's a memory," he said. "All of the occupations were terrible and all of them took something from us that was never replaced because we didn't know it was missing. There was never time to think about and discuss this, to figure out what happened and how it could never happen again like it seemed to do. We were strong. We survived three occupations. I consider the caste system to be alien to our being, our beliefs and culture … it was an occupation as much as the Quintessans and the Functionalists. We fought them every time. Delphi, Hard Drive, Alpha Trion … the others … they were my partners in a new idea. The idea was to build a free Cybertron for a free people but those who craved power and wealth didn't allow it to happen.
"No matter how many times we overthrew them, they kept coming back and every time they did, with every lie they told, our unity and our personal and group identity was chipped at, falling into dust. When the end came, it was inevitable. The rot was inside, the collaboration of business, media and politics, that killed our culture and our world. A new way came from The People during that time, one of peace and unity. The Circle of Light, The Primus Peace Mission, the Neutral organizations, the small clans and the religious groups, the youth, the elderly and everyone in between … we craved the possibility of peace and prosperity, freedom, hope and unity for everyone. It was our dream and it was our creed.
"I remember Prima Prime. I remember Him," Dai said. "I remember the hope we all had for a planet that served The People. I remember fighting for it and then the idea of war, of 'fighting for peace' became too absurd. We decided to abandon the planet before it was too late for millions and millions. We got them off. Tens of millions. I stopped counting at 20,000,000. Prime and I had objections to each others ideas of what we needed to do. I called him 'warmonger' and he called me 'cultist'. Both of us were wrong. Both of us were fighting in our own way for our people and world.
"Now we are brothers," Atlas said as Alpha Trion in the audience nodded with pride. "We work for the rescue of all our people. We search for them everywhere and we've found millions, perhaps when we're through hunting as many as a billion or more. We found in our unity the way forward. But now we face the past. It's absolutely clear to me that if we don't explore this fully, if we don't dig out all the rot and impose sanctions that it will germinate and happen again. It cannot happen again.
"There was huge collusion between the business and media communities of Cybertron and those who made the laws. I can speak to that corruption. I can and will. The Councils who held so much power, who had the ability to change things instantly must be examined. I will speak to that as well. I can speak to the Matrix because I had conversations with many of the Council of Elders about this business with false Matrices. I will. I will stand for our people, our world, our culture, and our deepest spiritual views.
"I am aligned with the Guiding Hand both in practice and in doctrine. I find that … rather interesting." He grinned. "I assure you that the honor is deeply felt by me and it's given incredible respect and dignity by me. It gives me a unique perspective and position to speak from and for the Matrix as well as the rules, beliefs and customs surrounding it and its autonomy. It's an honor to be here at this, a much longed and hoped for event. No one ever thought this orn would come. I'm happy to be alive to see it and to assist. Our people need justice. Thank you and call upon me. I am ever for Cybertron and The People. I have complete faith in the system and in this Prime to find justice for all," he said as he stepped down from the stand to sit in the audience with Alpha who patted his arm.
Prowl read from his datapad. "We would call Neo of Iacon and Gravitas of Iacon to speak."
The door opened as Springer called them and they came in looking drawn but determined. They stood together and took the oath, then turned to bow lowly to Prime. Neo turned to the group. "I am Neo of Iacon and I was a member of the Council of Elders. I'm responsible for a lot of things that I now would die to retrieve from the past. I'm prepared to speak to the Council and its actions, those that I know and those I've found out about since. I'm gravely committed to the truth no matter where it goes or if it shows what I once was in a bad light. The only thing that matters is the truth and justice. I received immense mercy from this Prime and I give it back to him and our people with completely devoted service." She bowed again, then stepped back to allow Gravitas to speak.
"When I was a member of the Council of Elders, I was selfish and foolish, entitled and infamous. I'm seeking through the service of my life to attempt some small portion of contrition. I'm prepared to speak as Neo will. We're united in our service to our people, our culture, our world, and this Prime. I am a servant of Primus and committed thereby to the truth no matter where it takes us. My brothers, Mraz, Templar and Eronus are also committed to speak when called and will only tell the truth no matter where it goes. We're honored to be of service to this, a reckoning long overdue. Until all are one." He bowed lowly to Prime then they walked to the audience to sit with Atlas and Alpha.
Prowl called the next witness. "Proteus of Iacon."
The door opened and a mech stepped inside, one who wasn't recognized as a senator much hated on Cybertron due to his format and coloration changes. He took the oath, then turned to the group. "I am Proteus and I was once a senator. I was incarcerated and over that period I came to a number of very hard unyielding truths. I'm aware of my conduct and the extent that it was cruel, destructive and unforgivable. I asked that my trial be granted so that I could plead guilty to all charges and take my punishment no matter how severe. It was then that I was granted grace by Prime that I didn't deserve and the chance for a new life living the way we were supposed to live all along, as equals in a free and just society.
"Now I work at real work, have my bond with me again and a new son to take care of. We participate in our colony as an equal among all equals. I am at this moment as happy as it's possible to be and I'll work hard the rest of my life to make sure that what happened never does again. It's a small thing, mercy, that means so much. Neo, Gravitas and I deserve jail for a long, long time but we received mercy from Prime because he is The One Who Comes. The Matrix speaks to him when It never did for any Prime I ever knew since Guardian. He heard the Matrix but none of the others did until this one. I'm here to serve the pursuit of justice with humility and gratitude even if it means that others know who I am. I place my duty to Cybertron and The People over my personal safety. Thank you, Optimus Prime, for giving me a chance to do my duty today," he said as he bowed. He stepped down and joined Neo and the others in the audience.
"I would caution the jury that nothing spoken here will be released into the community including the identities of some of the witnesses. It is a matter of grave security that you keep the oath you gave. Would Maddow speak," Prowl said.
The door opened and Maddow stepped inside. He walked to the stand, took the oath, then turned to the others. "I am Maddow of Capital City and the younger brother of Traachon. We had everything and anything we wished but it wasn't enough to dampen the sense of obligation to others and the shame I felt about the selfish life I was supposed to lead in my caste. It was nothing. When one is not free, no one is. My brother never understood our creed but to me it's holy and undeniable. There's no wiggle room for different interpretations. Until all are one is clear, inviolate and the only way forward for us to prosper and grow.
"My brother was involved with nearly everyone who will be discussed and we had many discussions about them and what they did, discussions that led to an estrangement that has lasted to this orn. My brother is now in care from cognitive dissonance because he found out that the creed means what it says from a hearing with special circumstances involving the Pantheon during the Functionalist trial. It was a paradigm shake that he's struggling to assimilate. I will stand in for him and my family, all of whom knew everyone involved in the government and business councils. I'm fully briefed on things that happened, was there when many did, so I freely and completely offer my testimony to help resolve this matter to the satisfaction of all. I'm deeply grateful to do so on behalf of my family." He bowed, then walked to the audience to sit.
Prowl glanced at Prime. "The Narrative is now fulfilled."
Prime nodded. "Please bring in the defendants."
Springer walked to the door, then disappeared inside. After a moment, he walked back out leading two mechs into the room. One was a big handsome older mech with an impeccable blue dominant paint scheme and defiant manners followed by a big Seeker with a haughty gaze and ice cold aura. The first was Decimus, the most notorious industrialist of the Clampdown era and the other, Contrail, a partner to Ratbat and a member of the Senate during the worst excesses of the reigns of every Prime since Nova. They walked to the defense tables, then sat down side-by-side, their expressions as tense as their posture. Their team led by Blackstone chatted with them offline, then turned to Prime. "We are ready, sir."
Prime nodded. "Prowl, please read the indictment and charges against the two defendants before us."
Prowl picked up another of his several datapads, then stood. "Today, we come together to hear the charges against Contrail of Vos and Decimus of Iacon who stand charged before the Prime of Mars, Cybertron, the Empire and any place that Cybertronians exist as per the Charter of the Primes. They are accused of many offenses which will be determined in court with assisting judges and petit jury consultation by Optimus Prime in alliance with the Matrix of Leadership as per the rules and regulations of a Primal Hearing with Special Circumstances.
"The charges against Decimus stand as follows as per the indictment. War profiteering, money laundering, tax evasion, bribery of public and private officials for personal gain, theft of property and services from private and public entities, conspiring to create a criminal organization and participation therein, negligent homicide, man slaughter, murder, and treason.
"The charges against Contrail stand as follows as per the indictment. Collusion to commit criminal acts, money laundering, corruption of a public office and trust, bribery, obstruction of justice, desertion of office in a time of great controversy and war, accessory to murder, war crimes against the state and people of Cybertron, conspiracy to collude with an enemy of the state, mass murder, and treason." Prowl sat. "So say the indictments."
Prime considered the charges, then glanced at Blackstone. "Are you prepared to defend both your clients against these charges?"
He nodded. "I have a motion."
Prime nodded. "I deny your motion to release the defendants on the grounds of speedy trial. The act of martial law allows me latitude with the timelines as well as the Defense of Cybertron portions of the Primal Charter. Do you have a response for me to entertain?"
"If you won't allow it, I'll save it for appeal if needed," Blackstone said.
"Very well. Coln-2?" Prime asked.
"I'm ready to present my opening statement, Lord Optimus," Coln said.
"Please proceed," Optimus said as he sat back to listen with a silent solemn No-a and Semi. He glanced at the pensive slightly intimidated jury. "Please listen with an open mind. No one is considered guilty without a preponderance of the evidence demonstrating so beyond a reasonable doubt. That is, beyond what a thinking person might reasonably believe. You may ask questions during the examination portion of the trial. Right now, counsel will be making arguments about the case that you should attend to. Please keep a record of any questions or clarifications you might need until such time as we can entertain them."
They nodded then turned toward Coln-2 who was walking to the podium to speak. He gathered his thoughts, then began. "Among our people, there's one overriding and overarching belief, that all are one. When the Chaos was coming to order, when the thirteen Primes created by Primus were gathering together, they were joined in one unity by the Thirteenth Prime who raised his servo and said, 'Until all are one.' From that moment, They were and it was given to us as our great social and societal creed. It's part of our law, our religion and underlies all that we are and do.
"Yet from the beginning, it wasn't to be. Those with other ideas, those with their own personal ambitions who used that holy admonition as a club to force our society and people into something less, they had the upper hand. It was from that paucity of spirit that grew the great conflagration which destroyed our world and nearly all of us. No one in this room can say they have no harrowing tales of escape and homelessness. No one in this room wouldn't be able tell you about the inequities and lawlessness of their life on Cybertron because of those unholy ambitions. Even our religion was perverted to the service of the state and those for whom everything would never be enough.
"The combination of commerce and politics poisoned our lives and led to this moment when we sit here with some of the architects of our agony. There can be no way to assuage what has happened but it's the duty of those who lived to see that those who didn't get what justice is available in this life. These mechs and the others will stand trial for their conduct and actions and if there is any justice left in the universe, they will pay for their deeds. Thank you." Coln-2 sat, then Blackstone stood. He looked grave.
"As ever, Prime, we have a difficult set of cases to defend and there's great agony and concern on all sides about it. We will do our best to help you understand the mindset of these individuals, how growing up in a culture that devalues others based on income or type can affect judgments and in the end present possibly another picture of these two mechs that must and should be factored into your thinking. Life is seldom black or white. It's many shades of gray and in it lies the truth somewhere. We would like to show you who they are, how they came to be who they are and perhaps help you understand them in the context of their actions. It's our great good fortune that you are Prime and in conjunction with the Matrix, you will listen deeply. That's what we wish and know you will do so. We thank you for the opportunity to discuss this perhaps outside the parameters of the usual trial of this caliber." Blackstone sat.
Prime glanced at Prowl who looked at Coln. "You may begin your presentation, Counselor."
Coln glanced behind him, chatted a moment with his team, then stood. "We would like to call Commander Kup to the stand."
Springer called out in the hall to a group of soldiers sitting and standing at the end by the vending machines. "Kup. You're on."
Kup rose to the pats and encouragement of the others, then walked to the door, entered, took the stand and the oath, then turned to face Colie. "I'm here."
Coln grinned slightly. "So you are, Commander. Sir, tell me about the riot that broke out at Mining Outpost C-12. I'm told you were there to maintain order when Decimus visited it to tell the miners of their unemployment because of automation."
Kup nodded. "Alright. We boarded a transport to go with Decimus because he had the idea that it might be good for the miners to hear from him how they were being replaced with machines. I didn't think it was such a good one but he was a Senator and a rich businessman and I wasn't. We got there, he called for everyone to come listen and told them. I do recall he used terms like 'useless', 'no longer worthwhile', 'doesn't pay to keep ya', and other terms of endearment. That was when someone threw a tool at him and took out his arm. We had to battle our way back to the transport and leave. It should be noted that every one of the miners were abandoned by Decimus on the asteroid without transport home. Decimus and his company didn't feel any obligation to take them back home or pay them their salaries. He left them there until someone took pity and got them off. That was me and my friends, by the way."
"Did you participate in any other occasions when he showed depraved indifference to employees?" -Coln-2 aka C2
"Objection," Blackstone aka BST said.
"Please define depraved indifference as you are using it, Counselor," Prime asked.
"Leaving 1,500 mechs and femmes on an asteroid without food and protection to fend for themselves in an out of the way part of the Empire because he was no longer employing them. He had not arranged for their transport and thus, put 1,500 lives in jeopardy by doing so." -C2
Optimus considered it, then nodded. "I will allow the descriptor."
Kup glanced back to Coln-2. "There were many. Decimus had a number of cave ins at his mines and he also left workers stranded. It was a thing he did a lot, so most of us who worked in space kept tabs on the communications traffic from his locations just in case. It's part of our duty as Autobots and as feeling individuals to take care of our people. I participated in 15 rescues of abandoned mining crews that were left adrift by Decimus and his automation policies. That doesn't count a lot of cave ins where we got the call because no one was coming to dig them out."
"He had a pattern of leaving miners buried in cave ins without rescue?" -C2
"He did. Some of them were very bad and some weren't that much. It didn't seem to matter to him. He never came to dig them out. He had a practice from my experience of leaving trapped miners to their fate. He wouldn't even recover bodies. On two different occasions I had to come with a crew to settle a riot brought about by Decimus ordering mining to continue around cave ins so his operations would keep going. It was hard to take," Kup said as he bit on his cygar.
"Did you have any experience with him as a senator?" -C2
"Only during the Clampdown. He demanded and got protection for his house and family when the Clampdown was swinging into high gear and there were demonstrations everywhere. I refused to guard his house or family," Kup said.
"Why?" -C2
"He didn't give a frag about anyone elses family so I decided not to give a frag about his," Kup said.
"Were you disciplined for it?" -C2 with a slight hint of amusement.
"Do I look like I was?" Kup asked with a gimlet optic.
"No," Coln said. "I think not. What can you tell us about the practices of empurata and shadow play?"
"I know that Jhiaxus developed them and used them against dissent. Shockwave was a scientist hiding dissident scientists when they used it on him. He became the fragger he is because of it. Decimus used to say if he got his way a lot of mechs and femmes would have it, too, either that or kill the lot of them. He threatened others with it as I saw on several occasions. That was before he got pelted by paving stones and rocks. He never had a lick of sense."
Blackstone marked the time of that remark for the recording and made no comment. He sat back to listen to the story with a keen optic on what was transpiring. Coln on the other hand plowed ahead. "Then you say that Decimus was aware of it?"
"He was. Some weren't. I know that he and a small handful of senators were advocating it because I was there to hear the conversations and discussion. When you have to guard slaggers like this, they tend to see you as furniture. That's when they shoot their yaps off. He and Contrail, Ratbat and several others including Halogen were for using it wide spread. I told Optimus about it and he weighed in against it with them. It was a very bad situation overall at the time."
"I see," Coln said. "Could you illuminate us about his conduct with the safety of workers in his employ or soldiers who were assigned to him."
"Well, I was assigned to him when he went on his rounds of work sites off world until I punched his face. I was then withdrawn." Kup glanced at Blackstone. That mech shrugged at him with a ghost of a smirk on his face. "You don't mind the stories, Blackstone?"
"No, Kup. As long as you tell the truth, I'm going to listen. If I have objections or need clarification, I will do so," Blackstone said.
Kup nodded. He looked at Coln. "It was my experience with him that he had no interest in them as feeling individuals or as much more than useful machines. That is, they were useful until they weren't. He abandoned as many as he wanted wherever they were. No one ever charged him with it and no one ever cared. He was rich, a senator and powerful. He never saw mechs or femmes when he looked at anyone in my experience. He was indifferent to them and whatever happened to them. He had to keep the energon coming so if he killed a few, so what?"
Coln glanced at Blackstone who shrugged slightly back. Turning to Kup, he continued. "Did you ever see Decimus with Contrail?"
"A few times. He hung out with Contrail and Ratbat, but those two weren't his close friends. He hung out most of the time when he wasn't in the Senate with members of the Builders Assembly. Figuring out new ways to screw everyone over, I suppose." Kup considered the two. "Contrail was ten feet up the aft of Ratbat most of the time so I can't connect much between Decimus and Contrail."
"Decimus has many charges. What do you know concretely, if anything, about them?" Coln asked.
"What I heard around. Everyone in the Senate took bribes and stole things. They thought it all belonged to them. I know he left miners in the ground. I saw it several times and had to help dig them out myself with the other Autobots with me and miners who were there. That's when I punched Decimus in the face. He didn't want to 'waste the time'. When I pulled them out with the others, they were dead. They were dead because the mines were poorly made. He wouldn't let them be shored up the right way. The miners blasted him about that in front of me. He didn't care. I can only speak to negligent homicide and war profiteering. He made a bundle off letting our people die underground, then abandoning them when they were no longer profitable. The fragger."
"Thank you, Kup. No more questions." Coln sat down.
"Blackstone?" Prime asked.
"No questions, Lord Optimus," Blackstone said.
"Then I would like to call Commander Jetta of Iacon to the stand," Coln-2 said.
Springer called Jetta from the hallway and he entered to walk to the stand. The two defendants stared at Jetta with hatred as he took the oath. He glanced at them and returned the favor.
"Commander, please explain what your job was before the war and your subsequent enlistment in the Autobots," Coln asked.
Jetta stared at the two defendants with pure anger. "I would be delighted to do that, counselor," he said coldly.
-0-TBC 7-30-18 edited 7-30-18