The Diego Diaries: Stuff (dd6 506)
-0-At the beach in Diego Garcia
The crowds were enormous that had come to see the sight. Every off duty soldier, sailor, marine and airman along with the civilians who worked there were lining the beaches ten deep to watch. The newsmen stationed there had their network cameras trained on the skies as did Leonora Huttle and her crew. They had been carried from Mars by Bumblebee and First Aid who along with several Autobots were there for security and orientation. Setting up on the beach behind the line where it was safe to watch, she and Cameraman Jeb were waiting for the show.
Fifteen Autobots in transitional format were thundering here following the signal beam that went into deep space for ships and Autobots to make their way to safety. Most of them went to Mars but these were coming after safely accompanying a group of refugees toward Oasis Base. Moving onward, they made their way unobstructed toward Earth. Soon, they would come crashing through the atmosphere to land in the sea and on the sand, exacting touchdowns with astonishing accuracy.
They had signaled a few orns ago that they were heading this way and the beam would be the path they would follow. First Aid was there to help them when they landed, these mechs who had been in deep space for a very long time searching for the AllSpark. They would be greeted by a group of Autobots including medical and get their root formats squared away before going to Mars by bridge to check in and find their new life.
The Autobots stood along the beach watching the sky. Some of the humans gathered around Leonora turned to her, knowing her from Platoon and their programming. "Can they see the new bots coming?" someone asked.
Leonora grinned. "They can. Their ability to see is different with each but all of them can project their sensors to see and follow things long before us. They can see them."
As she spoke, faint flickering lights finally appeared to the humans, two of them in the distance, pinpricks of light coming their way. The crowd cried out, then settled tensely before Smokey and Jolt turned to some of them. "Move back. They're pretty spot on most of the time but you don't know if any of them are hurt. It could affect their accuracy during landing," Jolt said.
The humans moved back a little as the sight of two transitional forms trailing fire and bits of accretion could plainly be seen by everyone. They were homing in at an amazing speed as they grew in view size. In seconds, faster than the humans were ready to believe, one slammed into the earth and the other followed. They slid a fair distance half burying themselves, then with a sizzling sound and a bit of fire here and there, they began to transform into a protoform.
Most of the humans who were long time residences were used to seeing the Cybertronians in their most basic format, the unadorned protoform. Most of them were different colors from dark nearly black to light metallics and even blue and bluish white. That was a common sight on Cybertron and even on Mars occasionally among the older and traditionally minded but not on Earth. Most of those watching hadn't seen a transitional landing so the sight of two mechs standing up rather swiftly in a very simplified and relatively colorless format was about as strange as it got. The two turned to the welcoming committee and talked to them happily in their weird language of NeoCybex.
Gripping arms in the warrior handshake they favored, they chatted a moment, then stepped back. They both changed before everyone's eyes as they assumed a format that added color, different body modifications and notable expression to their faces and bodies. Glancing at the humans, they listened as First Aid swiftly filled both in, then they pulled to one side to watch as five more forms came into view heading for a hard landing. They trailed burning debris and ice chunks that broke off to fall into the ocean as they began to strike the ground. Two hit the water and three the land. When they all stood up, they were greeted with delight. They moved to the land to assume a format as the others began to appear in the sky. The last eight were coming, screaming across the blue sky as they rode the beam to the ground.
Striking the ground with earthshaking thuds, tossing sand and water everywhere, they hit like missiles and slid to a halt. Huge funnels of water splashed up as three of them hit the hard surface of the ocean and sank. It was a riot of noise as they rose up and turned to the group waiting for them. There was a moment of conversation, what everyone could see was laughter and good cheer, then they began to take on formats from the files downloaded into them with all that they needed for that and languages.
Andrew Settles and Lilly were watching from the bank, then walked down to First Aid when the mechs were all clear. Rapping on his ped, First Aid glanced down, then knelt. "Andrew. Lilly. What a great orn this is."
"I'm glad for you, Aid. Anyone I might know or perhaps have heard of?" Andrew asked.
First Aid stared at the mechs, then the two humans. "Just long time Wreckers. I'm going to check them out and take them to Mars. We're going to head out now. They came from deep space so they followed the beam. We didn't have a way to contact them about making a landing on Mars."
"Why don't you do that instead?" Lilly asked. "It might be easier than having them land here, though I really love to watch it when they come in."
"I know," First Aid said. "We leave this beam because its been operating a long time and if we shut it down and move it to Mars, those who have a fix on it won't be able to continue if its not there. Prime would rather they come to Mars and save everyone a fuss but we might lose those coming on this signal if we do." He stood and nodded. "See you later, Andrew and Lilly."
"See ya. We're coming to Mars for Halloween," Lilly said.
"Then I'll see you then," First Aid said with a grin. He called to the mechs and began to walk up the beach.
The mechs who were staring at the humans, the ocean and each other as they chatted began to follow First Aid. It was obvious that they were a very martial group with lots of guns and battle scars. There would be a lot of conversation about this bunch of bad asses around the base for a while.
It would also make worldwide news.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City
Prowl sat tapping his digits on the table. The news from Earth was fifteen more slaggers. Prime walked out of the corridor nearby and paused at the table. "What is the problem?" he asked with a slight grin. Prowl with a slow burn was a hilarious Prowl.
"We just got fifteen transitionals landing at Diego. Fifteen more Wreckers," Prowl said as he rose and gathered his gear together.
"That is good news. To me, anyway," Prime said as they walked together for the door.
"If you say so," Prowl said as he walked out the door to the rec room.
Prime followed with a big grin.
-0-Main Theater, the Hall of Cybertron, Autobot City Center for the Performing Arts
They began to come in, the several thousand that were summoned to attend a caste court called by the mech known as Crader of Nova Cronum. Everyone knew who he was, many were among them that had bad and/or profitable dealings with him and all of them were unhappy as frag to have to appear here. They were calling those from Nova Cronum, an aviation and manufacturing center were thousands of high castes not only lived to work but retired there as well. Tarn was also called, this second largest city on Cybertron where enclaves of high caste wealth had clustered that had ties to Nova Cronum and Capital City. Those who were called from Capital City were industrialists who kept homes there to influence the government but also had homes in Nova Cronum and Tarn otherwise. All of them held the responsibility to come when a citizen of their city called a court.
A few here and there were called from Praxus, Iacon and three other cities because they were shipping company magnates who had come here in the migration. They also had ties to Crader and thus were required by said ties to come. They would be called as witnesses if necessary. There was no getting out of it either. When the court called you, you had to come. No one could deny anything a Praxian Elite demanded of them. Even a Prime.
They filtered in, whole families of individuals taking seats together or alone. It was electric, the tension and no one was happy. They were silent and nervous as they sat. The Caste Courts were a serious endeavor and no one took them lightly. It was one of the reasons they were so few, the courts in the past. Not only could you not rig them, you had to face the music with the members of your community watching and sometimes participating.
The room began to fill up with tense individuals and the low murmur of voices felt ominous. The stage was empty but for the seats where the court would sit, a line of chairs that fronted a long row of banners behind them. The biggest were those of the planets and Prime. Prime's banner held pride of place and just below it was that of Cybertron and the Mars-Cybertron banner made and adopted here. The banners of all city-states hung in a line just below them and nearby was the Charter of the Primes and other relevant documents framed and posted on orders from Prowl. Given that this was a special circumstances situation, Optimus would have to be the conduit for the Pantheon rather than the determiner of the verdict.
The verdict would be that of the court to deliver as determined by Hard Drive with advice from the others. Because of the special circumstances, Prime would be here and through him and the Matrix the Pantheon could choose to weigh in.
Or not.
The room was very full when a movement at the edge of the stage caught everyone's attention. They silenced as they watched Piro step out and walk to the stairs. He carried the recorder and a sense of discomfort himself to be the center of attention. He walked to the table halfway across the floor in front of the stage, next to the steps that went back up to the stage itself. Putting the recorder down, he sat and waited.
More mechs walked in and down the steps of the huge auditorium to reserved seats in the front. Optimus and Prowl were the first two and as they entered everyone stood for Prime. When he reached the front and sat, everyone else did as well. Ratchet entered and joined them along with Alor, Barron and three of the priests. Around the room Springer and Drift had positioned security. Both of them were supervising the transfer of the prisoner so they weren't present yet.
In the front of the room on the floor in front of the stage on either side of Piro and his set up, two tables and chairs waited the legal teams. Sherrod and three other lawyers were representing Crader. They waited back stage for his arrival. Coln-2 and two lawyers from his office walked out and down the steps to go to their table and sit. They did.
It grew quiet again.
-0-Prison
Springer, Drift, the intervention team and Warden Gee-Gee stood in the cell block that housed the entire party of Crader. He was alone, a small gracile mech with a bad attitude. Where most mechs were robust, that is big, strong and powerful, Crader wasn't. He was gracile on purpose. He was slim and small without much mass. He was almost femme-like in his lack of bulk and purpose. No one wanted that personality in any format that was going to be difficult to control, so a slim small mini-con was the protoform of choice.
Ratchet's choice, that is.
He stared at them with hatred as he stood inside his small cell containment. Others were watching around him, those who came with him and no one was happy.
Well, maybe Roadbuster was …
"We're coming in to take you to Caste Court, slagger. You can make this easy or not," Springer said. "You know you can't defeat us so don't even start. Hold your skinny arms up and we'll take it easy on you. If you want the hard way we can do that, too."
He didn't move or speak, something that unnerved everyone there so Springer nodded to Gee-Gee. She dropped the gate and with a grit of denta Roadie, Springer and Drift walked in. When they did, they cuffed Crader without incident.
That was also unnerving.
It was a silent trip to the Performing Arts Center on a highly guarded set aside car on the underground system.
-0-Auditorium
The crowd silenced as Ironhide walked out. He was the youngest Praxian Elite in the group so he came first. He stepped down, paused before Prime, then knelt. He bowed his helm, stood, then walked up the stairs to stand in front of the farthest seat on the stage. As he did another mech walked out, then down the stairs to the floor. He walked across the room, then paused before Prime. Rather than just bowing his helm, Micro of Praxus knelt on a knee like Ironhide, then bowed his helm. Prime nodded again as was the custom. Only then did Micro, atar of Piro stand, then climb the stairs to stand in front of his chair.
Another mech walked out, a mirror image but seemingly older. All of the Praxians wore the same armor and all of the warrior class versions were black with silver flashes here and there. This one was no exception and his tattoos and other markings showed his age and power. This was Construct, the father of Micro, the grandfather of Piro. He paused, knelt with a nod, then stood and walked to join his son after giving his deepest respects to Optimus. It would continue.
Another mech walked out and followed the procedure, this mech who was the bond of Construct. He was Amadore, an intelligence expert of legendary proportions. When he had paid his respects, he joined the others. Next came Blackjack, then Turbine following the order of age in their family. As that was done with Piro's family, so it would be with Ironhide's. Raptor was next and his majestic presence was a sight to behold. Delphi followed next, a soothing menthol to Raptor's blazing heat. It was silent a moment, then the legal team for Crader followed. They bowed to Prime, then sat tensely at their table.
No one followed next and the tension ramped up as everyone waited. Backstage, Springer and his team had arrived with Crader. Hard Drive was waiting calmly as they came into the room with the intervention team from the prison as escort. Crader stopped before Hardie. He smirked slightly but didn't say anything.
"Crader, I'm giving you a chance to change your mind. This could be a matter of your life. Raptor made a joke. Don't let your ego drive you to make a very bad decision here," Hardie said.
"I chose a court. Is everyone here? This could be fun, Hardie. Let's do this," Crader said with the same arrogant bluster that he was famous for.
Hardie glanced at Springer who stared at him pensively. Hardie nodded slightly, then the group moved onward. Out to the stage they went, then down the stairs. Walking to the defense table, Crader was sat down, then everyone stepped back. He held up his servos. "You aren't removing my jewelry?"
"No, slagger," Springer said. "I'll stand really close by to admire it though," he said as he walked to the stage, then knelt down on one knee. His guns were in view and his optics were hard and intense.
Crader was about to say something when Piro stood to set the demeanor of the court. "May I call this court to order," Piro said. "I am Piro of Praxus, Praxian Elite member of the House of Howitzer and Blitz. I call us together to hear a petition. I am instructed by the court to tell you the rules and deportment that you must hold to if you wish to remain without penalty. I am recorder who will keep the record. The court panel consists of the noble family of Construct, Operational Specialist and Special Operations Master of the Army and that of Hard Drive of Praxus, Master of the Army Emeritus, General of the Army as it stands now and highest ranking member of his caste on this planet and perhaps all of the Empire. He will officiate as chief magistrate.
"The judges of note are Master of the Army Emeritus, Raptor of Praxus, General of the Army at present and commander of the famed First Division. With him will be Blackjack, Master of the Army Emeritus, General of the Army at present and commander of the famed First Battalion. They will preside with General Hard Drive and those of the House of Construct, scion of the House of Howitzer and Blitz. General Micro of Special Forces of the Autobot Army will be seated as a judge as will his fathers, General Construct and General Amadore, Intelligence and Special Operations. They will also listen to the evidence and serve as advisers to General Hard Drive who has final deciding responsibilities.
"Sergeant-at-Arms will be Commander Ironhide of Praxus, chosen bodyguard of the Prime of Cybertron, Master of the Army at present, Master of Munitions of the Empire, Mars and Cybertron and divisional commander of the Army of Mars.
"Serving as observers and informational resources will be Turbine of Praxus, Commander of Special Operations for Cybertron and Delphi of Praxus, Commander of Tactics and Special Command for Cybertron, both of whom are part of the Prime's Senior Command staff and Praxian Elite Class warriors of noble houses as well. As advisers and observers, they have no final vote in the outcome of the petition but can be consulted by the panel for information and other points of the law and rules of the court.
"The process is simple. A petition has been put forward requesting a caste court to decide a case before the civilian courts of our colony. This is a criminal case regarding conduct by the defendant, Crader, as well as that pertaining to outstanding warrants against him from Cybertron which stand even though they were issued before The Fall. It is law that all disputes before The Fall stand until arbitrated now. When the petition was accepted, it gave a time line for this process which the defendant waived.
"Given the number of former high castes citizens in the colony as it stands now, the membership of the congregation was limited to those directly geographically affected by the actions of the petitioners … the members of the city-states of Tarn, Capital City and Nova Cronum and its related areas and industries. We recognize the difficulties for some of you to come but it is the law as practiced by the System of Exception and because it is, you have no choice. The court acknowledges your inconvenience anyway. Some of you are from Capital City and other places where you primarily lived but you were counted in surveys in this court due to your business and other investments of time and resources.
"The petitioners have been brought in and they will be given such time as necessary for them or their chosen representatives to plead their case. It is asked of you to hold any comments or suggestions during this part of the pleading. When they have presented their case, the court will ask what questions they require. Generals Raptor, Micro, Construct, Blackjack and Amadore along with Commanders Turbine and Delphi will question while the presiding judge, General Hard Drive of Praxus listens. He will not ask questions unless it is absolutely necessary. His function is to acquire information and observe, then direct the formulation of the decision which is binding. Commander Ironhide as sargent-at-arms has no voice in this process.
"The only other option for discussion of a settled item normally is the extremely serious and rare call for a Convocation of the Will. This process is called at the discretion of the Prime and only the Prime and decides only unaddressed discussion or items not settled by the Caste Court decision. However, given this is criminal and a special circumstances trial, a convocation is not allowed. It would due everyone well to remember that the decision rendered here is final.
"When the case is made, then the floor will be opened. Anyone in this room and beyond in the back may step up and state their feelings and desires regarding the findings of the case as well as your feelings and other commentary important to you and this court. You are encouraged in this protected and sacred space. This case affects us all so be brave and state what you feel. When that is over, the panel will make their decision regarding the outcome rendered together through internal discussion. It is suggested that you hold to silence during this time. When they have reached a decision, General Hard Drive will inform everyone what it is. Again, understand there is no appeal beyond this court given its status as special circumstances. All decisions are final.
"If there are any disturbances, you will be removed from the proceedings. There is security around the room but I am confident that it is not necessary for us to reach a good accord," Piro said. He looked around the room, then nodded to Springer who nodded back. He turned to Hard Drive listening nearby and bowed his helm. "Sir?"
General Hard Drive of Praxus, a legendary leader of the First Rebellion and member of The Immortals had stepped into view and was walking down the steps to the floor. Standing for him, everyone's optics followed Hardie, this mech everyone knew by reputation as he walked toward Piro. He paused before Prime, then knelt on a knee. He bowed his helm, Prime returned it, then he rose to walk to the steps and upward to the row of mechs who were standing on either side of his chair which was in the middle. He stopped there and turned to the room. It was silent a moment as he took the measure of everyone there. "You may sit," he said as the room did.
He stood as he stared at the group, then began the opening statement. "I am Hard Drive ..."
-0-TBC 10-27-18 edited 10-28-18