The Diego Diaries: Trials and Tribulations 5 (dd6 428)
-0-Courtroom
"I am Jetta of Iacon and I grew up in the same tenement with Orion Pax and Deion Magnus. One district over, Ratchet of Iacon grew up. Four of the most important and competent Autobots in one mile of each other. It's not an accident. We were kids, we suffered the same privation, the same lack of schooling, the same injustice but we made our way forward anyway. Orion Pax became Optimus Prime. Deion Magnus became Ultra Magnus. They were longshoreman and I was a day laborer. It wasn't because we weren't able or talented enough. Our current lives put that to lie. It was just what the System allowed us to become. Note what we do now, these things that were always in us. But for our own tenacity, we would never have reached these pinnacles.
"We were stuck in a system so vile that without Megatron forcing the issue, its likely that our talents and abilities might never have come to pass. We were stuck in a system that ground you up and spit you out. I studied on the sly, getting books, tapping into databases and learned architecture, structural engineering, electronics, and how to build good things. That's how I came to know the corporate heads, their stooges in the Senate and how real injustice worked."
"Objection. Stooges is pejorative," Blackstone said.
Prime glanced at Jetta, his oldest friend besides Magnus and someone he loved like a brother. "I have to agree, Jetta."
Jetta nodded. "That's when I got to know the bribed senators pretending to represent The People."
"What happened as you began to work to ensure better housing for the poor and homeless, Jetta? You became the leading advocate for them on world at the time," Coln asked. "It rather made you a target, didn't it?"
He nodded. "Some of my friends and colleagues began to network worldwide to begin a push for good housing for the poor and homeless, the elderly and for those who were losing their homes to business construction or land speculation," Jetta replied. "We began to work for grants, putting pressure on the government and corporations to take responsibility and to assist. It was brutal. We must have talked to every committee and low level bureaucrat on Cybertron at least thirty times. We'd get the smallest grants they'd begrudgingly give and build what we could. Our housing was solid and well made, not like the crap most of us lived in since we were born.
"It was then that I got into labor unions, guilds and organizing. That was when I came into contact with the defendants and their companies to a much greater degree than before. Decimus in particular was a problem. He didn't care if people died. Mines were shored up with scrap or as little as possible. They collapsed over and over trapping and killing miners. Protests and demonstrations only helped a tiny bit, then the media began to call us agitators and liars, troublemakers and losers. We were there to save lives. We were there to get a fair deal for the workers who created the wealth. It was brutal because they had armies of goons that came after us, sometimes in our homes."
"Did you have interactions with Decimus?" Coln asked.
"Many. Usually it ended in shouting matches with our group getting thrown out and beat up or arrested. He never cared. I wish I had words to tell you how much he didn't care about anyone or anything. He just had to keep the energon coming at any cost and if it killed people, if it left orphans behind, he didn't care. It ..." Jetta paused as he gathered his emotions. "I don't know how you be that person. How can you NOT CARE!?" he shouted as he gripped the railing of the stand. He stared at Decimus who stared back without emotion. "You murdered people and left them trapped to die. You are a murderer."
"Lord Optimus, I think Jetta needs to gather himself together," Blackstone said. He wasn't unmoved himself. He knew having helped some of the members of the committee Jetta formed with their efforts and subsequent incarcerations. Only Contrail and Decimus seemed to be unaffected.
"Jetta … we will wait until you are ready to continue," Optimus said quietly.
It was silent in the room as Jetta pulled himself together. "I am fine."
"Very well," Optimus said.
"Jetta, were you ever there when a cave in occurred that included the presence of Decimus?" Coln asked.
"I was. Two of them. I helped the miners dig the men out. They were injured but alive. I wasn't there for the big ones where up to forty died. He didn't bother to dig them out. He wanted to dig around them. How do you do that?" Jetta asked as he shook his helm. "I practically stalked senators trying to get meetings to show this to them. No one would allow it. Contrail wouldn't give me the time of day."
"You were in and out of jail seeking the attention of the senators when they were in Iacon. Your record shows you were arrested over 42 times," Coln said. "You were arrested at protests, crossing picket lines around shops that were … how shall I put this? … severely lacking in safety features, senator's homes, public gatherings, and the like. How many times did you seek to garner the attention of Contrail?"
"Too many times. He never spoke to me. I even showed up at open office joors with pictures of the mines and the dead miners and he had me arrested. He said I was disturbing the peace. I wasn't." Jetta said bitterly. "I was showing them to their faces what they were causing."
"Did you ever see any senator take a bribe?" Coln asked. "I'm asking for personal episodes and not speculation or second hand anecdotes."
Jetta nodded. "I was told by both Decimus and Contrail that if I had enough money, they would listen to me. They said if I didn't pay, they wouldn't play. They weren't joking. I saw both of them keeping company with Karyll Wheelus on multiple occasions. I also saw them spending time, traveling with and doing the bidding of Cassio Imperialis. Whenever they were together, tax breaks, projects and appointments followed."
"Objection. Speculation," Blackstone said.
"Karyll Wheelus is a criminal, head of a major cartel and Cassio Imperialis was party to every scandal in the Senate including the selling of mineral rights to fields discovered on planets near the Rim. It nearly became a public scandal before the media quashed it. Why would any decent person hang out with them? Maybe we can ask Karyll in the prison," Jetta replied hotly.
Prime considered the situation, then glanced at Barron. They chatted off line a moment, then Prime looked at Jetta. "I am going to discount the speculative part at the end and keep the first. Continue, Jetta."
"When did things get dangerous for you and the Labor Council? When did the situation escalate so that you became branded an enemy of the state with a warrant for your arrest?" Coln asked.
"When things began to become undone with the world wide peace movement, that's when the Senate with the Internal Security of the State Act began to crack down on the unrest with the Clampdown. They targeted all the major groups including ours, the Committee for Peace and Unity. CPU was affiliated with every group on world and in the empire and was part of the coordinating of the civil unrest. All of us on the steering committee were branded outlaws including Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime.
"The massive work stoppages, the protests that paralyzed cities, the rise of Megatron as a spokesman and partner to Orion Pax terrified everyone, so they targeted the leadership. We were hunted but there were always enough around us to keep us from being taken away. Two orns before the last time Orion and Megatron went to the Senate, the orn that the Matrix finally chose who It was waiting for, goons broke into my apartment and arrested me. I was taken along with the leaders of the CPU, the Resistance, some Circle of Light, a number of Knights of Cybertron, the Primus Peace Mission, and a sect from the southern poles that was enormously powerful for communications and alliances in the religious communities and clans. They even arrested Lord Lauren, Lord Chevron and Lady Sela.
"We were taken to the prison on the moon and tortured, all of us. They beat and tortured us and made it clear that if we didn't tell everything, we would regret it," Jetta said.
"Did you or any of them disclose information?" Coln asked. It was almost morbidly quiet in the room.
"No. None of us did. There would have been no one to make sure if we had that Orion was protected. They would have been able to round up thousands and thousands if we had. We knew what was at stake. We knew it. Orion had to be protected at all costs. They were going to use empurata and shadow play when Orion became Prime. We were two or three orns away from it," Jetta said.
"What happened then?" Coln asked.
"The Senate was in disarray. Optimus was Prime and the revolution started when Megatron wasn't chosen. They let us go on the orders of Optimus and turned their attention to destroying the Decepticons. Before Orion became Prime, the Senate said they would recognize the Decepticons as a legitimate party if 10,000 registered. They did, the Decepticons, and all of them were rounded up and killed. No one was cooperating by then because of that, the Clampdown was reaching its peak and the world was on fire. When the war broke out entirely, we were rounded up again, imprisoned on the moon base camp and stayed there during the collapse until Optimus found out and ordered the camps raided and everyone rescued."
"What condition were you in and were there deaths?" Coln asked.
"There were two. They were beaten to death. The rest of us were beaten, starved and on the edge. We were saved from death by an orn," Jetta said. "There was talk among the guards to kill all of us to prevent us from doing more. They blamed us for the uprising. We weren't there to keep it contained, but then, I don't think even we could. The war was on and there was no turning back. The Senate is responsible for our arrest and incarceration.
"Sentinel, the Senate and the Councils made the declarations that not only created and enhanced the Clampdown but the mass arrests and incarcerations of the opposition. It was outlawed to speak against them and I know that Orion was working orn and night to change things but the war began in earnest. When I got out of prison I joined the Autobot Army and began to work on saving people as well as gathering intelligence on both the Decepticons but also the Senate and Councils.
"It was all avoidable. If someone had said enough and tried to do the right thing, The People would have stood by them. Everyone was DESPERATE for change. When Orion did, it was too late. Megatron was taking the cities. Helex, Tarn and Vos had already fallen, the Seekers and regular army mostly went with Megatron and we had to organize civilians into a force against Megatron."
"Tell me anything if you can about how Sentinel operated within the framework of the Senate and the military-industrial complex that was our government during the Clampdown. What sorts of things did you see pertaining to the Clampdown?" Coln asked.
"In my experience dealing with the structure, trying to get audiences, the administrators and secretaries were the wall they used to keep everyone out. The only ones who were able to get audiences were those who had money or the right caste connections. I sat in outer offices half my life trying to get an audience and watched it play out. If you had enough money, you got in. If you were trouble, if you were poor, if you had no connections, you didn't get access.
"The Clampdown gave the police discretionary powers to search, detain and arrest individuals without cause. I helped many get out of jail who were held because they just looked suspicious and for no other reason. The fines levied for offenses as piddling as standing on the street corner, not keeping your property clean enough, using municipal recreational properties out of caste raised a lot of money for the governments of local jurisdictions. Fines were levied for jaywalking, for all kinds of petty offenses. Everyone was being bled to death. They also imposed regulations on local businesses that required licenses and other costs that were unnecessary. It was all a scam. Contrail and Ratbat were always proposing scams. They had no loyalty to anyone. The record will show that they proposed these kind of punitive assessments and voted for them into law. Sentinel allowed it because he got his cut."
"You know that to be true?" Coln asked.
Jetta nodded. "I was in prison with an accountant in the Treasury. He had the duty of finding places for the money extorted that would make it seem legitimate. His name is available if you want it, but I'm not saying so otherwise. I think he survived Cybertron because I saw him now and again when I was there running the femme team underground."
"I would appreciate it if you would advise Prowl of his name and whatever you can tell us to find him, Jetta," Optimus said.
"You have it," Jetta said as he stared at the two defendants. They stared back equally hotly.
"Your experiences with Contrail, Jetta, what can you add?" Coln asked. "Decimus as well."
"Contrail didn't care about anything or anyone. He would tell groups that the Clampdown was security against the rabble but if he could, he would kill everyone who stood in the way of things. I heard him myself and it was even in his public speeches which are a matter of record. He had enormous wealth that I dare you to trace to anything legitimate. He didn't help Seekerkin at all. That's possibly the worst part of this. He was the token Seeker representative, chosen to appease Seekerkin, and he did nothing to help his own model. He and Ratbat were one. We all know what he did when the Senate fell. He went with the Decepticons and destroyed Tarn and Vos through manipulation. He helped Ratbat at every turn and flew him in and out of locations throughout the events that led to the annihilation of both city-states. That is undeniable."
"Objection. We aren't trying Ratbat and nothing has been placed on the table as evidence of these allegations."
"Yet," Jetta replied.
"Objection sustained," Prime said quietly.
"I have no further questions at this time but reserve the right to call this witness back," Coln said.
"Very well. Blackstone?" Prime asked.
Blackstone considered the testimony thus far and the hostility of the witness. He personally had the same problems himself. He had been arrested as a dissident lawyer during the same period of time as well but never went to the worst prisons like Jetta and the resistance leadership. "I have no questions at this time, Lord Optimus, though I may reserve cross for later."
"Very well," Optimus said. "You may go, Jetta."
Jetta nodded to Prime then stalked out with enormous tension. Ratchet rose to follow him out. Prime glanced at Coln. "Your next witness, please."
"I call Commander Ultra Magnus to the stand," Collie said.
A pensive Springer opened the door and peered out. Jetta was standing with Elita and Ratchet who he held in an embrace. "Magnus?" he said quietly.
Ultra Magnus squeezed Arcee's servo, then walked to the door to enter. Springer nodded to Elita, then closed the door. It was silent in the hallway. A lot of mechs and femmes were there, all the team of femmes, Partition and his brothers, a large number of soldiers, and the usual group along with the twins and Bluestreak.
Ratchet squeezed Jetta. "You alright, son?" he asked.
"No," Jetta said softly. "But maybe later."
"The more you let it out, the easier it gets to carry. At some point, you don't even feel it there," Ratchet said. He squeezed Jetta, then looked at him. "You're too damned handsome to be this upset."
Jetta snickered, then squeezed Ratchet back. "If you say so."
"I do and I want to say that when the Book of Heroes is written, you'll get a chapter. You cared for everyone. Your family is proud of you. So are your friends. You were what Cybertron needed at a time of crisis and what you did mattered. You did it in spite of the hammering you took and you were brave at every step. You never gave up and you never sold out. I couldn't be more proud if I were your actual old ma. You know, like the others here," he said nodding to the twins and several others.
Huge laughter greeted that. Sandstorm grinned. "Adopt me. I dare ya."
Ratchet grinned. "You think I won't? I have Lucien of Iacon as an in-law."
Huge laughter greeted that including Partition and his brothers.
-0-Inside
"Commander Ultra Magnus, do you promise to tell the truth without embellishment or subterfuge?"
Ultra Magnus stood in the stand, a monumental example of the Pride of the Cybertronian Male. He was as imposing an individual, fearless and uncompromising as it got. He turned his steely optic on the defendants, then nodded. "I do," he said quietly.
-0-TBC 7-31-18 edited 8-11-18