The Diego Diaries: Prison With a Bang (dd8 518)
=0=Prison
The group came around, then stood up staggering to their feet. Nearby sitting on the ground being examined by Forensics Watch scientists and attended by regular Army sappers a growing pile of slim chips seemed to mock them. The mechs examined them gingerly, photographed and took copious notes about in consultation. What they didn't do was scan them with their tech. This was old stuff and could be unstable in the right circumstances.
Ratchet had decided with them to consider everyone a carrier and he would look at them one-by-one without risking a blow out. They'd been lucky thus far. He glanced at Winnie. "Just drop them. Its easier."
Winnie pointed the device at the group who was next, all of whom stepped back together in surprise. Down they went like wheat being moved, falling into a tangle.
Ratchet entered, then began to work with a heavily padded sapper receiving the chips as he pulled them out. It would take a while but everyone with the exception of several young sub adults held them in their processors.
He walked out, then paused by Prime. "We have a renegade group here. I'd do a background and see if there's connections either through business, actual relations and dynastic bonds. I can only imagine that no one has a memory of getting them. But there could be a starting point traced back through the data. I have a lot of it with my retrievals and maybe we can see when and why they hooked up with the 'Cons."
Prime nodded, then glanced at Sky who was managing the scene. "Sky, would you and Jazz see me in the morning with the data? All of it from everyone. I would like to see if this can be managed back to the source."
Sky nodded. "Sure, Prime. We have a meeting in the morning about 0900 but can be there at 1000."
"That would be fine," Prime said. He glanced at the other seven pens here and the ten farther down. "This is going to take a while."
Ratchet nodded. "I told the sappers to blow them all at once in view of the slaggers. I want to rattle their cages."
"You will," Prowl said. "That's going to make a big explosion."
It would.
=0=The Hourly News: Update at 2200 Joors on the TMC
"The intersection of 4th and Delbrow in Crater District 13, City 5 will be closed to traffic from 1300 to 1600 joors to fix a water main that needs a new valve. All traffic will be detoured with adequate signage to help you navigate.
"All of the citizenry there are newcomers and we urge you to check The Community Bulletin Board for this and all other changes in your cities. We're shaking them out with your help and soon they'll function as well as all of our urban areas.
"There's a short update from the Prison today. They're testing munitions in the set aside lands which have created loud banging sounds and flashes of light. Several concerned citizens have reported to the Watch these strange sights. The Office of the Warden has issued a bulletin stating that munitions are being detonated there to rid the colony of unstable and out-of-date devices that are dangerous to use due to their age.
"They don't usually do it there. The Army Demolition Corps usually does at their facility on the new base that's being constructed at Harbor Flats past the golf course but we're told that they're small devices and take very little to be rid of. Commander Ambler of Praxus and General Micro of Praxus are handling the munitions. Both of them are noted experts and have the situation in control. The Office of the Warden thanks those who reported this for their diligence and concern."
Lim-Lee grinned. "We'll be right back with an update on our latest migration along with sports, weather and the good of the order."
=0=Prison
Raptor who was watching Ratchet 'scavenge brains' glanced at Prime. "Did you know that The Hourly News has a new feature at the end called 'The Good of the Order'?"
Prime glanced at him, then grinned. "I did not know. Is it on now?"
Raptor nodded. "It is. They're coming back after the local Board scroll. By the way, someone turned us in but the Warden lied and all is well."
Gee-Gee glanced at him. "I didn't lie. Much. We are detonating old ordinance."
"True that," Raptor replied as everyone tuned into the news.
=0=The Hourly News: Update
"The Office of Immigration and the Bureau of Refugees just released figures that state 7,539,593 actual refugees have been received from the last migration just concluded. There were a few miscounts but this is the final one against the records of the Bureau. This brings our colonial population up to 428,386,942 plus or minus separations.
"The migration was a sad mix of grief and elation as the majority of the population repatriated without a problem. There were Decepticons and criminals in the migration who caused harm including the deaths of 47 individuals when they tried to escape. The period of morning to extend 10 orns started yesterday and will culminate in a group funeral at the Hillside Municipal Cemetery in 9 orns. You are encouraged to attend to honor those lost to nefarious actors.
"There were many arrests in the migration from those who were criminals, dangerous in their conduct or holding to caste status. They will be held in the prison pending hearings and possible trials for their conduct. It should be reiterated that the System of Exception and all status derived forms of conduct and living are outlawed in the Empire by both Lord Optimus Prime and the Great Ones.
"In other news, we turn to Semple to tell us about sports. Semple?" Lim-Lee said as she smiled at a handsome bot who was her beau but no one knew but her ammas.
He grinned at her, this pretty little femme who had become his girl through their constant contact at work. They were a nice, nice couple. "Thank you, Lim-Lee. Starting this weekend the basketball schedule for the world championship restarts with the conclusion of the migration."
=0=Prison
"That's right. We have to get in practice," Ironhide said as he stood over Ambler who was sorting out the munitions that had been examined by the Forensics Watchmen. It was getting to be a big pile.
"Same place, tomorrow at noon. I have a hearing this afternoon," Prime said as he considered his orn.
"That's right. The traitor guys," Jetta said as he grinned at Prime. "I heard they're ready to go back home."
"Maybe. I wouldn't," Ironhide said. "Some places on Earth they still kill the guilty."
They considered that a moment, all of them, none of them unaware of that kind of thinking and a couple of them coming that close to the chopping block themselves.
I'm talking about you, Jetta.
"That's too bad," Jetta said. "No matter who kills who, its still murder to me. Government or moment of passion, its the worst possible outcome."
They commiserated about that until the news came to the end, then they all tuned in again to listen and watch.
=0=News
"Thank you, Duriel," Lim-Lee said to the weather reporter. "Now for the good of the order. Tonight's feature belongs to our little ones. I will be playing the videos in order and when that's accomplished we will bid you goodnight until 2400 joors when we start our broadcast orn once again. Goodnight, Autobot City, forward bases, Caminus and Cybertron, all of our great and wonderful Empire."
The roll of videos showed babies 'swimming' in shallow water floating in inflated rings that circled their necks, little kids trying to get onto patient little ponies to ride them and a cat batting the face of a baby who was pulling his tail. The baby looked shocked at the furious but gentle slaps, then laughed madly.
Thank goodness for YouTube and bot YouTube, Shutter.
It was good. All of it.
=0=Prison
The mechs and femmes chuckled, then watched as Ratchet walked to another cage. A sapper carried out a boxful of chips. They glowed in the light as he continued to a device that would hold them until they were blown up.
Prime watched the procedure, noted that this was the last pen and the pile of chips was very large. He glanced at Ambler and Micro. "How big of an explosion will they cause?"
Raptor who was with them grinned. "Boom," he said ominously before grinning.
The other two laughed loudly, then agreed.
"Boom," Ambler said with a chuckle. "Let's help the sappers make piles of them to blow up. If we did one big explosion it might draw the Marines."
They walked to the holding device and began to remove them making about five big piles. It would take a bit of arranging to get them right. All the time they would do it the inmates would watch silently.
=0=A short time later
They had the last as Ratchet joined them with Sky who had recorded the data with his photographer and the sappers. "We're done. This whole group are slaggers. We need to figure out how to find and examine the locals. Maybe a flyover to scan for them."
"A lot of mechs carry small devices like this for sabotage work. We'd be looking at a lot of mechs and femmes," Jetta said. "I carry this sort of thing as well every orn."
"Frag," Ratchet said with a sigh.
"WE'RE GOOD, PRIME!" Ambler called out.
Prime glanced at him, then the pens. Dialing in their transponders, he began. "We have taken the chips out of your processors. They were designed to recall you if you became worthless to their purposes or problematic. Its a miracle that you are still alive. These are highly dangerous and can kill without warning," he lied again. "We are going to detonate them, then ask you to help us look at the others that came with you. They could be carrying a death sentence in their helms the same as you were." He glanced at Ambler, then nodded.
Ambler walked back out of the blast radius, then halted. With a grin, he unsubbed a device, cued it in, then pressed the button.
It would be incredible the explosions of five piles of detonator chips. The sand, dirt and rocks thrown up from the blasts splattered everyone. The blast echoed, then died, a low mournful sound. It was very still a moment.
Prime turned to them. "Help us find the others. Help us save them from disaster. Your young have not been spared here."
No one volunteered and no one would. The bots were on their own.
=0=A joor later in the Courthouse
Optimus Prime sat on the dais listening to Barron as he quietly explained the situation. Nearby in environmental cases on the table where the prosecution sat, humans from a number of countries including Australia, Germany and the United States waited with those from the International Court and the United Nations. There were Global N.E.S.T. officials as well.
Sitting in the defense side of things for a change, Coln-2 waited to help with the Prime's Brief. It was up to Optimus what would happen but he was there to help with technical things, he and Barron both.
Sitting in a case on a table in the middle, two humans watched with nervous expressions. Blackstone was representing them as the lawyer of record, that is, the one who would speak while four men sat in the box with the two, humans who would represent them going forward.
Prime nodded to Barron, then the mech walked to his table nearby to sit with the computer he used as a resource. Prime nodded to Prowl who was running the record.
"This hearing is open," Prowl began. "Lord Optimus of Iacon, the Prime of Cybertron is officiating. Barron of Capital City, the Attorney General of the Empire is officiating as a legal resource for this hearing into the extradition of two human males accused of two counts of murder, espionage, immigrating with false intentions, resisting arrest and operating with contraband technology stolen from the Empire through nefarious means.
"Representing the Prime's Brief is Coln-2 of Iacon. Representing to the court for the defendants, speaking as the lawyer of record is Blackstone of Crystal City. If the human lawyers representing these men would state their names and personal data now we can add them to the record."
They did.
"Would the representatives of the United Nations, various courts and groups here with the human delegation please do the same?" Prowl asked.
They did.
"Very well. This hearing is open," Prowl said. He glanced at Prime.
"I am Optimus Prime …"
=0=TBC 9-9-2022
