The Diego Diaries: Trials and Tribulations 4 (dd6 429)

-0-Courtroom

"Commander, you were part of the team of that worked with Orion Pax during the unrest that led to his ascension as Prime. Correct?" Coln asked.

"Correct. We grew up together along with Jetta and others who formed not just Orion's council but his bodyguard," Magnus said. "We had death threats and warrants from municipal and federal governments against us. It was a very dangerous time."

"When Orion Pax became the break away defacto leader of the entire resistance movement, what was that like? Especially the government's reaction to it," Coln asked.

Magnus thought a moment as Arcee, Jetta, Elita, Moonracer, and a pensive Maelstrom walked in quietly and sat. "When it was clear that there was corruption on the docks where both of us worked as longshoreman, he began to report it to the authorities. They pretended to take reports, then nothing happened. It was during a fight that broke out between the workers he supervised and some low level government shipping officials that things turned into something else.

"A number of officials were watching the unloading of ships and felt that they could weigh in on how to do it and how fast. There was an exchange of words, then fisticuffs. It was pretty brutal and the officials left to return with police. They tried to arrest the two mechs who got into the fight but the other longshoremen, me included, didn't allow it. Orion talked to them explaining how the officials had thrown the first punch, how the mechs were provoked and how terrible the conditions were. They didn't believe him because it was a caste issue according to the officials and they were not allowed to interfere with the situation because of the laws.

"The entire crew down the dock said they would strike if anyone was taken for something that they didn't start. The police pulled back with the officials, then word got out. Every dock on world and every longshoreman went out on strike. That followed with the truckers unions wildcatting and it grew. When things didn't show up, people asked why, then more of them than we ever thought possible shut down. It was the last straw. Everyone turned to Orion to lead and he did. He was the one we were waiting for.

"That was when things happened because Orion won concessions. It was nearly a first. From that moment forward, it was a movement that coalesced around Orion and moved swiftly, linking up world wide." He thought a moment. "As for the government, they were wildly unhappy and feared that the 'contagion' as they called it would spread out. They made a few concessions, left the three mechs be and tried to co-opt Orion. You denature what you fear one way or the other but they didn't know Orion or the resolve of everyone everywhere for a better life."

"At what point did it become your life, this movement, along with the protection and furthering of the aims of Orion Pax?" Coln asked.

"Nearly immediately. The intelligentsia and those in movements all over called upon him to visit them and they worked out The Resistance together. We were all there, those of us who had decided that the moment was now," Magnus said. "I find it highly ironic that the freedom movement overview committee of our liberation should be the name of the same movement on Earth that wants to tear us down and make us leave this system."

Coln nodded. "Me, too." He looked at his notes. "What if any contact did you have with the government and the defendants in particular? It was my understanding that you were the liaison with them because of many factors, not the least was your size and fearlessness in the face of them."

Magnus permitted a slight grin. "I was the liaison with the government during the period of time that they tried to manage us, to make sure that the direction the burgeoning crisis was heading would go their way. I had a lot of contact with everyone including Sentinel and the defendants. It was largely unproductive but educational in the way things really worked and what they did amongst each other and to the general population. It never ceases to amaze me the collusion between the media and the regime. One helped the other and both prospered at the expense of everyone else.

"I took meetings with them as individuals at first, then with the committee that they formed when things weren't going away. It was there that they told me that they were 'managing' the crisis, that they held Orion and the different groups like CPU and the intelligentsia responsible for the … 'deplorable situation of rabble rousing that had been prompted against the good order of the world'. I will never forget that. Contrail said that to me in a meeting when it was made clear to the committee that there would be no stand down and that the leadership of the government needed to step up. He and the others weren't pleased. Decimus was there, Ratbat and others including Sentinel. They were unhappy. I didn't care."

Coln listened to Magnus, someone he considered a friend and ally. It amused him how calm the huge mech was, someone with the build and size of a Prime. He was perfectly balanced and so powerful it hurt sometimes to look at him. He was calm, contained, relentless, absolutely fearless, ruthless in the pursuit of a goal, intense, had a great sense of humor held in check, and was among the most feared of the Autobots as many former Decepticons could relay. That Magnus was the Tyrest Enforcer and a one time overall leader of the Wreckers was no mystery to him. He was a truly remarkable example of what it meant to be a Cybertronian mech. His loyalty and friendship with Lord Optimus was legendary. They were brothers in every manner possible but for genitors. The leadership triad of Orion Pax, Ultra Magnus and Jetta of Iacon was one for the history books.

"Was it ever made clear that corruption was the price of entry? That they were involved in a criminal conspiracy to deny the people their liberty and life? What can you tell me about the way they worked, their hierarchy and anything else pertinent to the charges before us?" Coln asked.

Magnus glanced at the two mechs in question and the intensely calm figure of Blackstone, a mech he truly and completely respected and liked. "Of course. The senators were given their positions for life and they were inherited generationally, the majority of them, like we were a monarchy. There were mercy postings like Ratbat and Contrail. A sop to the mini-cons and Seekers, I was told. Sentinel ruled like a king making rules and laws as he saw fit and the Senate rubber stamped them. He took the Clampdown that was begun in the rule … or shall I say misrule of Nominus Prime and ratcheted it up to crisis level, using the Internal Security of the State Act to justify his actions. He wouldn't listen to anything I told him about the unrest among The People.

"Decimus and Contrail were on the committee that met with me and they told me over and over that if the Clampdown was ever to be rescinded, the population would have to return to the manner and condition of their lives before the uprising. They listened to me as I explained the hunger, homelessness and appalling suppression that the government had implemented but they didn't care. They told me that it would continue and even increase if the people didn't back down. They seemed to think that they were a creature that spoke with one voice rather than millions. There was not going to be a way to put the genie back in the bottle. It was not going to happen and nothing I could show or say would change that.

"Sentinel would come to the meetings sometimes and he would mostly listen. I think he got it completely. I think he knew it but he wasn't going to relent. That's why the repression, the Clampdown and all of it was so brutal in the run up to all out war and revolution. I don't think Sentinel hated Cybertron. I just think he hated The People. For him, saving the planet even at the cost of The People made sense to him. He had no compassion and his appointed committee that included both defendants never showed any either," Magnus said. "There was a lot of connection between the senators and the councilors. There was also a lot of connection between the senators and the business community. Some of them would come to speak to me about their discontent over strikes or slowdowns. I found little to recommend them either due to their stubborn unwillingness to see any point of view but their own. I especially include Decimus in that group. He had zero interest in The People and I think his business practices underscore that perfectly."

"Business leaders came as well. Is that normal? Is that a reasonably ethical thing? Did they appear as individuals or were they there in league with the committee members?" Coln asked. "I would like to have your personal experiences, but not speculation and hearsay."

Magnus nodded. "I didn't consider it ethical because they were supported vociferously by the senators. Without me there, The People had no one to speak for them. The others spoke as one. I came to understand that shanix was the guiding principle for all transactions, both political and business. I told of the appalling wages that were paid and there was invariably loud mouthed discontent about how high costs were and how the people had to take what they could offer. It never seemed to make sense no matter how I tried to explain it that if you don't pay a living wage, then there's nothing left over to buy their crap."

Coln felt a chuckle arise and mostly repressed it. "Forgive me, Commander. Your characterization struck me with amusement. Please elaborate."

"Consider that if the goal of your business is to make yourself wealthy to the point where there is nothing to give to The People whose effort and genius create things that are sold, then there will be nothing left over to spend. If your housing, bills and food are the extent of your income spending, how can anyone buy anything else? They told me, Decimus and Contrail included that they didn't care. If people couldn't afford to buy things, they would sell to wealthier people. It never occurred to them that they would make more money selling to more people if they would just pay a LIVING WAGE!" He nearly growled at the two who startled at his intensity. Magnus turned to Coln. "It was almost maniacal how difficult it was to deal with these people. At some point in the process, the committee dissolved and all of us were sought for arrest."

"When that happened, what was the situation like then?" Coln asked.

"That was crisis point. We were moving all the time. Orion decided to press the issue. I had to liaison with the Council of the Ancients to discuss the situation one last time for a meeting when word went out that Sentinel had been murdered. It was almost a moment of complete silence world wide, then the celebrations were stupendous. I remember accompanying Ratchet, Prowl who was SIC and acting military commander of the Autobots pending a new prime and Ironhide to confront everyone over the indecent haste at burying Sentinel. They were going to the Basilica to intern Sentinel immediately which was against the rules.

"Ratchet was supposed to do an autopsy and Perceptor as well but they didn't allow it. Ratchet and Prowl were able to get past the security cordon. Ratchet was going to tell me what happened so Ironhide and I waited in the shadows nearby. They went in, the interment went without either being allowed to fulfill their duties or even see Sentinel's body, then they came back. When Prowl was gone, Ratchet talked to us about the situation. We didn't have any time at that moment because this was the most explosively dangerous moment thus far. We didn't discuss this with Prowl to preserve his delicate situation. He was leading the army so we cut him out of conversations to protect him.

"It was decided that we would see Orion and discuss the situation. The Matrix was going to choose again. He would have to make a move really soon if there was going to be any hope for any of us. So we decided to go to the Council of Ancients to force the issue. Ratchet and Ironhide, me and Alpha Trion went there to demand action with Orion. It was the end of trying, the most dangerous moment of the entire spectacle thus far. Megatron found out and went there, too. There was a lot of shouting and discussion.

"Orion wanted the Council to stand up for The People. He was as eloquent as anyone I ever heard and it moved them, I could tell. Megatron wanted the same thing but he didn't connect and knew it. The conversation ended when the Matrix rose into the air and began to make Itself known. It was so fast, the choosing, that in seconds Orion Pax became Optimus Prime. That was when everything ended and war began. That was when the Senate came apart at the seams, the biggest repression began, the bribes were made without concern of being noted by others, and the battles on world commenced. That was when Contrail and Ratbat defected to the Decepticons at the moment of Orion's ascension and the worst crimes began."

"How do you know he did, Commander?" Coln asked as Blackstone shifted in his chair.

"We were immediately drawn into the army. It was clear that we needed to defend the world and train an army. The Seekers defected to the Decepticons, an entirely understandable action considering the way they were treated. Even though Rainmaker, the Great Elder wanted to go with Prime, he had no faith that Orion would be able to pull things together, things were so bad by that point. Sentinel and his allies had left the planet open for abuse with their misrule and corruption. The Decepticons were without mercy and cities were falling. The Senate was tracked and it was clear that Contrail and Ratbat ended up in Helex where the Decepticons were organizing and based. We tracked their movements and were clear that they were involved in the situation between Tarn and Vos. They goaded both governments toward launching war heads and millions died. He and Ratbat are responsible for the destruction and murder of millions."

"Commander, I'm assuming you have evidence of Contrail's alleged participation in the Vos-Tarn battles? Otherwise, I would suggest that you're speculating," Blackstone asked.

"We have the evidence and will forward it to you and Coln-2, Blackstone," he said calmly.

"I would ask, Lord Optimus, that until evidence is presented that proves his assertions that the remarks about Contrail on the Tarn-Vos situation are true that it be considered hearsay," Blackstone said.

Optimus glanced at Magnus. "Commander, are you able to present the information requested?"

"I am," Magnus said. "I'm also aware that the information was presented to you at the time of conflict given that a massive humanitarian crisis was happening there and we needed to assuage it as best we could. Ratchet was also aware of it and can speak to the intel as well."

"Lord Optimus, can you verify the intelligence that spoke to the alleged participation of Contrail in alliance with Ratbat regarding the Tarn-Vos atrocity?" Coln asked. The room was intensely quiet.

Optimus considered the situation, then nodded. "I was shown the intel. It was conclusive."

"Then it's problematic for you to continue this hearing, Lord Optimus, given that you are a party to the information that we're discussing here," Blackstone said.

The room was quiet once again.

-0-TBC 8-1-18 edited 8-11-18

The creatures in this story are canon.

HAPPY AUGUST, MY DARLINGS!

ESL

fisticuffs: fist fighting. A fancy word for a fight. (fisty-cuffs)

wildcatting, or wildcat: an unauthorized strike. it often happens when one union goes out on strike, others either join without taking a formal vote or refuse to cross a picket line. Crossing a picket line is the lowest form of life ... those who do are called scabs. You can thank Jack London for it.