The Diego Diaries: Court (dd8 471)

=0=On the deck

Hard Drive glanced at everyone in the room. "I'm going to tell you the rules and expectations for reaching the level of evidence and testimony that will help you with your petition, both of you," Hardie said as he glanced from Prime to the high castes. "I will only say it once."

The group with Galio was gathered with their three counselors. Ideal was eldest and the two younger, Transom and Quest his proteges. They were grim and emotionally lit but silent.

"I am General Hard Drive of Praxus and I command the Elder Council of the Praxian Military Elite caste as senior member which is supreme within the System of Exception, holding sovereignty over all of you by virtue of the Code and long standing mutual agreement over eons of time. You're duty bound to obey this Court and present your arguments with all of the facts and power that you can.

"We are not here to hash over old tired arguments. We're here to listen to something new that can actually support your contention without sounding like entitled whining." He walked closer to Galio and Ideal. "Understand, the only thing that doesn't change IS change. The world turns, lives go on, things happen and we move onward. Because it once was so doesn't mean it has to continue if the majority reject it which they have. If that is your argument then we should allow the Quintessans to enslave us again if they come without fighting them for our freedoms.

"Just because it once was so doesn't mean it must continue to do be. If that were so then we would've accepted our slavery with the aliens who overtook us in The Beginning. We didn't. We fought hard and won our freedom. Yet it wasn't to be so. We've been down this road before and unless you have arguments that offer something new I can assure you that your path will be difficult." Hard Drive turned to his fellows who were listening silently. It was an incredible sight to see them watching him without comment. "Brothers, you will be the judges. Piro will record. Ironhide and Li will be security," he said to his great grandson and another mech who was his age.

Both mechs bowed slightly to their chieftain.

Hard Drive turned to them. "We will entertain your arguments now." He glanced at his fellows. "Dial down to 15% emotional availability, brothers." He walked back to the table, pulled a chair, then sat. He would be the only one but Piro who would.

=0=Out there

Springer kept a bead on Galio's party who were watching the screen with disquiet. It was dense in the room as both sides stared at the screen from different places and from different points of view. The mechs with Springer were fascinated with the Praxians of whom no one had ever seen that many in one place at one time before.

"What a group. I'd love to go into battle with them," Twin Twist said.

"I have with some of them," Sideswipe said. "They're gods to me."

No one else commented because it began.

=0=On other ships

They watched tensely, some with loud outrage and others with silent dread. It would be a deeply scary thing for most of them, what would happen if Galio and his group failed. None of them were prepared to live any other life than the one they presently did.

=0=Ideal

He stared at the judges, a row of brutal looking ciphers. Their dark armor and similar builds, facial features and other attributes made them look demonic to him. He knew they were at a point of emotional reception that couldn't be reached by anything but logic and great rhetoric. 15% emotional receptibility was almost a nil proposition. Therefore, he had to find an argument that would allow them to have what they wanted outside the reach of Prime.

"We're from a series of colonies that formed in a quiet system near the edge of Decepticon dominion. Why they never came until now is up for debate. We rebuilt our lives, traded and lived without bothering anyone. It was a good life with our people growing and becoming even more prosperous than before until the Decepticons came.

"I don't know what prompted that. I do believe they knew we were there but decided it wasn't worth their time to investigate. Who will ever know but during that free period of peace and tranquility we had the life we wanted and needed. We didn't bother anyone and no one bothered us.

"When they came they told us we had to leave. We didn't want to but they made it abundantly clear that we had to. Our colony was interconnected with a network of others who lived our lifestyle as well. There are five colonies of us in this migration with about as many more coming in one that I don't believe you can detect yet. Among them will be the same mix as this one … Decepticons fleeing, Seekers and other castes as well.

"We aren't looking for trouble. We want to rebuild our lives again to have the one we want. We made it happen before and we want it again. Its interesting to me that you find it problematic when we seek distance from you, you who are obviously adamantly against our life and way of living. You could easily just help us find a place and leave us to our own business. It wouldn't take much for us to fall into your defensive ring given what we've seen in the videos you sent to us and we could be useful to you as an early warning system.

"You could give us what we want without much effort and all would be well," Ideal said. "But you don't seem to find that an agreeable solution to the problem before us. It would seem that you want to inflict as much damage upon us as possible, to break us to your will."

He glanced at Prime, the others, then Hard Drive. The wall of mechs staring at him made no indications that they even heard what he said though he knew they did and were listening to his arguments without sentiment. It was that lack of emotional connection that made them so hard to defeat.

The only part of their personality that was left when the emotional side was displaced was cold hard logic and reason. It would make it incumbent upon him to make as perfect an argument as possible to have a chance of finding a way forward that pleased him and his group.

"You tell us that Primus Himself is against The System. Where were the Powers when it was in place on Cybertron?" he asked. "Where were They when the Functionalists killed half a million individuals as you say they did? Where were They when the Quintessans held sway over us? You were there then, all 22 of you Elders because you're old enough. Where were They?" Ideal asked.

Hard Drive glanced at Sezaran with a nod.

That mech stepped forward dialing up his emotions as he did. He would interrogate this group and anyone else they brought forward. He would be the voice of their caste and by extension the Prime and The People. "You seem to have forgotten the way of our beliefs if you think that the Powers would step in to manage our affairs unless the most dire possibilities were reached. Perhaps a refresher course with our Lord Chevron or Lauren is in order, Ideal."

"I don't need a refresher course. We're being held sway in the grip of a mech that contests that he has the Will of Primus on his side. I find that an interesting concept given the past and what's happened to us. If he did have all that he would have defeated Megatron and he didn't did he," Ideal said as he turned to the big mech with the big IQ who was a feared negotiator and inquisitor by those who were unfortunate enough to debate him.

"We're left to our own devices, Ideal. We can be unity or separation, love or hate, light or dark. We choose our paths, often through the life our families have led before us and we bear the consequences of our choices. You're steeped in the poison of exclusion. It doesn't matter to you that our good people have suffered for eons for no real reason. You chose abundance, over abundance without pity for yourself so that your lives were comfortable beyond decency while children starved."

"Our lives were constructed from our work ethic," Ideal countered. "We worked hard and created the world of our people that became legendary."

"So if our people had only worked harder they would've prospered as well? Its their fault then, the poverty the System layered onto them from birth through laws that conveniently favored you and corruption. How was that possible, working harder to get ahead when all doors were closed unless they had a function you could exploit for yourselves?

"I don't understand how you can say that and not feel shame? Given that everything was rigged against them by those who didn't care if they died, how would that work? How could they 'work harder' in a rigged system? Perhaps they could just 'vote harder' in elections that were rigged from the start? Perhaps you can enlighten us. The System is on trial as well. You already know what happens if it persists."

"You'd do what, Serazan? Put us all in prison?" Galio asked.

"You fear prison do you? You put our people in an artificial prison based on your own personal deviations as long as Cybertron existed. You fear prison do you? My former caste and I are committed to protecting all of our people including you and yours, prison or no.

"Would you have us turn you back to where you came? Perhaps the Decepticons could use a few strong backs to do their grunt work. It might do you a good turn to see how the other 99% lived," Sezaran said calmly. He was relentless and never showed emotion when he debated, dialed down or no. He was the one who did almost all the interrogations when a court popped up out of nowhere when there was no one to represent the other side of the argument and it was important enough to need an advocate.

This was.

:What do you think?: Prowl asked.

:Sezaran is on the future husband's list: Ratchet replied as both stared with rapt attention at the debate.

:I hear ya: Prowl answered.

=0=In a terrarium

The humans listened to the mechs, one of whom was rising in intensity and the other growing even more calm as they debated. It was obvious that the few were out of harmony with the many.

"Who's winning?" a female soldier from South Korea asked.

"Prime," Lennox said.

"I would hate to be him if he has to make a decision," another soldier asked.

Everyone nodded.

=0=Springer and Company

"He can't turn us back," a mech said with alarm. He was standing by an interior doorway with a femme. "The Decepticons won't allow it."

"I thought you didn't care about that," Drift asked sincerely curious. "I thought other people's feelings and ideas were irrelevant to you."

"You'd turn us back to die at their hands?" the mech asked.

"Your caste abandoned miners on planets when the mines played out. You left them there to die because it might cost two cents to get them back. Since when do you think caring about others matters? When its you? Why am I not surprised?" Whirlaway said. "Remind me to write a letter to the editor."

Chuckles from one group greeted that as everyone turned back to the debate.

=0=There

"The Prime is honor and duty bound to protect all of us, to defend us against harm. If we get turned back the Decepticons will enslave or kill us," Ideal said.

"Now you invoke the Prime's authority? I thought you didn't believe that Prime had any in relation to you," Sezaran said calmly. "Which is it? Does Prime have the authority to rule our people in keeping with the laws of Cybertron and the Will of Primus and The One" Does it matter that we love and care about each other all the time or is that only in effect when you're in threat of danger? Perhaps you can enlighten us on that point. I am myself unclear what you mean."

Galio turned on Sezaran with a cold expression.

=0=TBC 7-7-2022 7-24-2022

Catharsis is wonderful indeed, my dear JackalKat. HUGS!