The Diego Diaries: Trials and Tribulations (dd6 446)
"What is that?" someone in the group asked as they glanced down the way to look where Prime was looking. He had turned to stare into the distance when Micronus stepped closer to Ratbat. That mech was stepping back with a wary sense of hatred on his face. Proteus hurried to Madura and enclosed him in his embrace as everyone stared at a gathering whirlwind of sand and stone. It was almost immediately that it grew into a monster storm, a towering jumping tornado of massive scale. It appeared to be bearing down on them.
Everyone glanced at Prime and then the Pantheon, both of whom appeared to be calmly watching. Affecting a sense of calm that none of them felt, they watched it approach. Genitors grabbed children and stowed them along with others there, getting them to safety just in time. Laughter from Amalgamous was the last real sound anyone heard before the whirlwind turned into a soft white light and they were enfolded into its mass almost immediately.
Sunspot glanced around himself in awe as the light enfolded them. Sitting in his great grandpa Raptor's arms, he felt it soothe him. He heard voices telling him of love, voices that were only a faint echo in the dimmest memories he possessed, but memories that told him that his youthful trine genitors were speaking to him, their only child. He listened and chirped back even as Raptor was lost in his own loving memories, hearing some voices he hadn't ever heard before, relatives and friends from the past and future.
Time is a construct of the third dimension. It doesn't run in a straight line. It is an ocean that covers all things and everything exists at the same time as everything else, always. The past exists even as the present and future does, coinciding together in a vastness. One's ability to know that depends on their energetic vibration and most of the Cybertronians knew that this was so as the energetic beings they were. Humans wouldn't if they were here and didn't even so on Earth. The speed by which you vibrated determined the degree of your perception and even the children among them could see farther and deeper than most humans.
Ratchet felt it, gratitude by spirits that surrounded him, spirits of his children, spirits of his family long gone and the spirit of Primus Himself. It permeated him, telling him of gratitude that he and Ironhide had taken in their children. It is the highest good, they told him, to love unconditionally, to help those in need without judgment, to help those who needed love, company, family, shelter, friendship, and support. He felt it deeply and he felt his spirit rise.
Springer stood with his arms around Drift. Drift held him as they both felt familiar love reach them, love that was familial and unconditional. Their families touched them, weaving themselves around their children and friends, healing things when they did that the two didn't realize were that broken. Life never dies, the voices said. It merely transforms. We are here. You are safe. You are loved without condition. Springer felt emotion rise as a thought came to him in his mind … / … are you still alive? …/
A soft voice whispered to him as a gentle touch caressed his cheek … / … yes … /
Drift stood with his arms around Springer and his optics shuttered. Gentleness that was familiar caressed his soul, touching him with all the yearning that separation could instill in a soul. He felt his shame recede as the forgiveness of The One reached him. He felt himself enfolded in love and he felt tears. He hugged Springer tighter and the big mech reciprocated. He could die in this embrace and feel at peace.
Bluestreak hugged Sideswipe tightly as Sunstreaker enfolded them both in his arms. They were hearing voices, voices they had never heard tell them that they were loved completely, that they were given away unwillingly, that a part of them went with the babies when they did the best thing they knew to do in an unjust society, one that didn't value them enough to help them at their lowest point.
Memories of fire and bombs, of running madly in maddening pain flashed through Bluestreak and then were replaced by the smiling face of his ada and atar. His grandparents held him, his aunties and uncles played with him and he saw his room in his home in Praxus. It was like it was then and it was filling him now. It would stay with him overwriting somewhat the useless images of carnage and destruction, pain and suffering that had to be dismissed to help happiness find him fully again.
Sunstreaker looked around but he didn't see anyone, just the three of them and the kids in their hold. It was brilliantly beautiful around him and he wished he could paint what he was seeing. The colors had sound, the smells had texture, the texture that he could imagine roses to have. Everything was flipped and mixed. Sound had taste. Sight had aromas. All of it was different but it wasn't fearful. It was loving and good. It was a strange sensation to a mech who viewed the world with caution and wariness.
Lucien held Laslo who clung to him. The weirdness of the moment, of the entire moment was overwhelming. He had never been involved in genuine Matrix moments until the Festivals here. It had never happened to him in his lifetime on Cybertron. The other Primes, they were obviously out of favor with The Powers. It was obvious that Optimus Prime was the real deal and as he stood with his bond, looking around at the soft whiteness, hearing familiar voices tell him that they loved him, he knew also that he was a dolt.
Prowl held Sunspot, listening to the baby as he chirped with great happiness at something or someone he didn't see himself. Around him he heard music and came to the realization that this was the music of the universe. He wished he could see his grandgenitors here and he ventured a request. "Great Ones … can my grandgenitors be here? Zenith and Shadow?"
Nothing happened a moment, then a figure appeared, a tall good looking mech who he knew instantly was his grandfather, the father of his own, Venture. He grinned at Prowl. "They can't. Their path is different and they must follow it."
"Appa," Prowl managed as he gasped in surprise. "Appa Styre. You're here? Are you ..." He silenced in shock for a moment. "Are you and Amma in the Matrix?"
The figure chuckled. "No, grandson. We're on our way. We've learned a lot. Be at peace. We will come."
Prowl nodded. "I have a lot to tell you."
Styre nodded. "So do we," he said as he faded.
Prowl stared at the spot bereft for a moment, then the light abruptly faded away. Standing together again, they were in a huge limitless room. Standing on white light, they looked around as Kes and Tagg walked to Optimus. They approached him timidly, then Kes reached out to touch him. "Orion? Are you alright?" he asked with a tinge of fear.
Prime turned to them, then embraced both in his arms.
Nearby, Ratchet turned to Ironhide and his slightly blitzed family. "Frag. This is a big room. I wish I had called my family to come."
"Good call, Ratchet. Remember how Ravel cried for orns afterward, it was so emotional for him," Ironhide said as he turned slowly to stare at everything. "We'll tell them about this."
The room was so vast it felt like a universe itself. Arrayed around them in a huge circle were for wont of a better word, thrones. They were made of light and radiated it, a warm sentience. Sitting on all of them but the biggest were The Powers who was watching them with amusement and interest. The group looked at all of them as some of them fell to their knees and pressed their helms to the ground.
Micronus leaned forward. "Please stand and be at ease. You are not the ones on the fire."
They stared at him, then stood uneasily as some of them glanced around to look for the defendants. They were standing together in the middle of the group, staring around themselves with deep concern. It was almost sickening to some how afraid and cornered they were. It also surprised most of them how it didn't make them feel better to see it. The desire for vengeance had lost its allure for them here in this place.
A flash of light greeted them as they turned toward it, toward the biggest 'throne'. A blindingly beautiful shining figure was there, Primus Himself. Everyone knew it. The iconic art of great beauty made with love and devotion over generations of mechs and femmes didn't do justice to the image of this figure. He was their greatest hero, the One who tried to save the universe from His brother. He had given up His life and freedom so that they could live freely and they had fucked it up. They fell to their knees as some of them pressed their helms against the ground. The only ones still standing were a paralyzed palsied trio of defendants.
Joon and Vinn pressed their helms against the ground. Beside them, Breezy sat on his haunches reciting a verse of celebration of Primus in his own unknowable dialect. He was nearly in rapture of the moment and he would owe a life debt to Ratchet once again for calling him to come. Around the room, those who had no part of the trial but were called by Ratchet felt the wonderment of the greatest hero of their existence, Primus the Great, Primus the Good, Primus Who Sacrificed for them. It was a deeply emotional moment for everyone.
Sunspot who was standing beside a kneeling Prowl, his arm around the big mech's shoulders felt an intense urge, then ran forward. Weaving among the adults, he broke free of the group as he ran and ran with all his might. Everyone gasped, then watched as he ran for Primus who knelt down to receive him. When he reached Primus, he skid to a halt. "I KNOW YOU! YOU LOVE ME!"
Primus grinned, then nodded. "I do. I love all of you."
Sunspot hugged his digit when Primus held forward His great servo. Sunspot hugged it tightly, then smiled upward at him. "YOU'RE PRIMUS! YOU'RE OUR BEST HERO!"
Onyx grinned slightly, then glanced at a smiling Micronus. "And here all along, I thought I was."
Primus grinned at them, then the baby. "And you are mine."
Sunspot smiled at him, then turned around to run back. He wove his way in, then skidded to a stop in front of Ironhide and Ratchet. "HE IS MY HERO!"
Ironhide grabbed Sunspot and hugged him. "And you're mine, too."
It as intensely quiet as Primus stood up to stare at them. "Stand and We shall begin."
Everyone did, glancing at each other, the gods, then the three defendants. Primus Himself sat, then stared at them with a serious expression. "Of all the things I had hoped would never happen, this was chief among them. The road for you is open. You are a free will planet and thus, the choices for what you did were yours alone. In accordance with that, the penalties and rewards for your choices were yours, also.
"I have a high standard for who receive My love. It is also simple. You merely have to be alive. That is all that I require. I hope many things. I hope that you will love each other, all of you together, the same way those here do with Me," He said sweeping His servo around the room to include the Others. "We love without condition. We care without condition. Nothing and no one is beneath Us nor above Us. As I have said before, there is no hierarchy anywhere. We are all the creations of The One. What that worthy created is holy in every form, in all its forms. Everyone is holy. Everyone is equal. How can a father be asked to prioritize Their children? How can a father choose among His most beloved children which ones to reward and which to neglect? Is that what you do for your own?"
Everyone glanced around, then Hard Drive stepped closer. "No, Great One. I love all my children and grandchildren and I dedicated my life to service to all. It's not the natural way for someone to value some at the expense of others. It's against the Will of The One Who Loves Perfectly."
Primus nodded. "That is so, Hard Drive of Praxus. We were put here to love and learn, even Me. We were put here to care about each other no matter how different or difficult anyone is. Oh, that you could know My grief. To see Our beloved children return too soon with scars that are generational … I cannot bear it. You three were among those who are responsible and now We must determine the outcome of your decisions."
It was deeply silent, then Blackstone stepped closer. He bowed lowly. "Lord Primus … what do we do now? I am here to help represent these mechs with Highrode and the others. We would hope for mercy even though it might seem unworthy of them given their crimes."
"I have watched the trial with interest. You who have no reason to forgive have taken up the banner of truth and justice anyway, Blackstone. You are pleasing to Me," Primus said. He looked at the three who seemed to quiver with emotion as he did. "You three had the opportunity to defy your programming and the circumstances. I am giving you a chance to explain your actions, the most grievous of them. The destruction of Vos and Tarn … Contrail and Ratbat, explain yourselves. Feel free to speak, Decimus." He sat back to listen.
The three of them stared at Him, then Blackstone and Highrode turned to them. "You have a chance to seek the mercy of The Powers," Blackstone said. "Express your deepest regrets and explain the truth. You will defend yourselves the best if you do."
Ratbat stared at him. "You mean grovel? If I say I'm sorry, it might go better for me?" He glanced at Contrail. "We did what we did and its done. Are you sorry?"
Contrail glanced around, then stared at Ratbat a moment. "I … I'm sorry."
"SORRY YOU GOT CAUGHT! I don't remember you feeling a bit sorry for anything you ever did. You with the snooty look, the cold stare. I don't remember you ever being sorry. It was part of your charm," Ratbat said with an acid tone.
Contrail turned on him. "YOU CAN'T SPEAK FOR ME!"
"Why not?" Onyx asked from where he sat casually on his throne of light. "You pushed the conceit that you spoke for the Seekers. You didn't, of course. They didn't pay you enough, apparently. That was the rule of thumb, correct? Those who greased the wheel got your attention."
Rainmaker stepped forward, then bowed lowly. "Yes, Lord Onyx. That is so." He walked forward to pause before Primus. Dropping his staff, dropping to his knees, he bowed his helm. "Lord Primus … I wished to support Optimus Prime but had no faith at the time. I followed Megatron and did things that I will regret forever. I am here to seek and accept whatever you feel will balance the scale. I am Rainmaker, the Great Elder of Seekerkin and I ask you to give to me what is owed to my people for what I commanded as their leader so that they may go forward free of the stains of the past."
It was silent a moment, then the other clan leaders including Breezy stepped forward. Falling to their knees with Rainmaker and his sons, their staffs falling to the ground, they bowed. "We are here with the Elder to take whatever you feel makes balance, Great One," Silverclaw said as the others nodded.
"I will accept Your will for everyone, Lord Primus. I am Breezy of the Hidden Clan of the Manganese Mountains and I am here for the good of Seekerkin. I am Yours and will accept for all of us what You will," he said as he lay face down on the ground.
Primus stared at them, then watched as Sunspot slid down out of his grandpa's arms and ran forward. Pausing behind the Seekers who peered back at the sound of running peds, he knelt. "ME, TOO!" He knelt, glanced at the others, then lay face down on the ground.
Ironhide shifted but didn't move as he gripped Ratchet's servo.
Primus stared at them, at the tiny Seeker giving up his future for the good of his own kind, then sat back. "Rise, all of you."
Rainmaker sat up, then glanced around. The others stood, then he did finally himself. The place was so quiet it almost hurt their audials. Primus looked at Sunspot. "Out of the mouth of babes," he said. "The humans have many sayings. Among them is this one … "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them." It was silent a moment. "Woe, that the orn would never come when that kind of peace should reign. It is what We seek for you, a world where there are no hunters and hunted. That the hunter shall befriend the hunted, that war and suffering are no more and that you love each other unconditionally and without reservation the way We have always wished for you. I dream of that orn Myself for you."
Lauren stepped forward with Sela and the rest of the priests who followed. "Lord Primus … Great One … we seek it, too. Among the features of that dream, there is mercy. We seek it for these mechs. They are clueless about the terrible things they've done. Ratbat even defies you. That speaks of an impairment that isn't normal. Is it just to punish what might be impairment?"
It was silent a moment, then Cyclonus and his mechs stepped forward. "Lord Primus," he said as he bowed deeply. "I am less refined about forgiveness than my colleagues, though I reverence them greatly. I seek wisdom in the texts of my people, the wisdom that You and The Powers have gifted us. But for the grace of The One, all of it would be lost in the wars. I am myself party to the crimes that happened and I will accept whatever you believe is my just payment. I cannot ask for payment for them if I don't receive it for me. I have learned a lot since being here and I find now what I didn't know then in the wisdom of our people. All of us have a debt to pay for this."
Prime stared at Cyclonus with amazement for a moment before turning to Primus. "Lord Primus, Cyclonus has become a major asset to our colony and he through his efforts comforts multitudes through the Monastery. All of us are finding our way back to the light. Some of us are farther along than others. As for these," he said turning to the three, "they are far away from You. I would suggest mercy. It is never wrong to extend mercy, is it?"
Primus stared at Prime, his son, a creation of His pantheon whose greatness of spirit led Thirteen back into the world. "Mercy is always welcome and always extended. What must happen from these three is some small acknowledgment of their actions. Remember, you are never alone. You are surrounded by those who love you and in that moment when a glimmer of self awareness illuminates your spark, then We can come. It is permission at last. Until then, redemption is an illusive thing if you don't even acknowledge that you were wrong."
"You're going to do what You want anyway no matter what I say and do," Ratbat said bitterly. "We all deserve obliteration. All of us were part of what happened. You need a scapegoat. You need someone to take the blame, so give it to us. All three of us. I suppose that Sentinel is burning somewhere. Burn us, too," he concluded defiantly.
"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!" Decimus said as he and a terrified Contrail turned toward him. "I HAVE A BOND AND KIDS!" He whirled to face Primus. "My family. They need me."
"SO DID MINE, YOU SELFISH FRAGGER!" a voice said from the crowd.
Everyone turned toward it, the group parting until an enraged Sunstreaker was seen. He stepped around Sideswipe and Bluestreak heading toward the three. He was furious, coldly furious, combat enraged as he stopped before then. "Because of you, my brother and I were dumped in a Youth Center and never knew our genitors. Why should your family be more important than mine?"
"Yes, Decimus," Quintus said as he lounged in his throne. "Why is that?"
Decimus stared at Him, then Sunstreaker, then he turned toward Primus and walked toward him. "I was raised to be this way. I'm sorry," he said with an almost breathless quality. He paused before the god, then knelt. "I want another chance. I have kids. I have … I want to live."
Primus considered him, then swiped His servo through the air. Decimus disappeared.
A shocked sound emerged from the crowd as they watched Decimus vanish. Contrail cried out and sank to his knees, covering his face with his servos. "Oh, no," he whispered.
Ratbat shivered with surprise and overwhelming static energy as he stumbled back a step. "What did you do with him?" he asked with a jerky voice.
Primus stared at the spot, then looked at Ratbat. "Why, Ratbat, I gave him what he wanted."
-0-TBC 8-19-18 For Ragemoose :D