The Diego Diaries: Visitin' (dd8 162)
=0=Intervention
It was silent.
"Either the Pantheon and The One made a huge mistake when creating all of us in light of our Creed which comes from Them, Until all are one, or you have. Who's the one who's wrong here? You or Them? Did They make us equal or is it all just a big mistake They made?" Ratchet asked.
Reset stared at him with a cold expression but it was obvious to everyone there that he wouldn't have an answer for the question that didn't offend either his own love of The System or the Pantheon. One of them had to be wrong and it was clear that the group didn't have the nerve to declare it Primus and His family. He stared at Ratchet and said nothing.
"Either its one or the other. They said 'all are one' but you say no. Either you're right and They're wrong or its the other way around. Personally, I'd hate to go to the Matrix some fine orn and have to explain how you profaned Them your whole life by using Them to justify your actions and ideas when you knew, YOU KNEW you were wrong. Tell me how I'M wrong," Ratchet said as he sat back in his chair.
"I don't have to tell you anything," Reset said as the others nodded. "We didn't ask to be here. You brought us here against our will. This is on you."
Ratchet glanced at Prime. "What do you want to do? Throw all of them in prison for this? Contact the Pantheon and ask maybe Onyx Prime to come and show these slaggers the error of their ways?"
Prime was staring at them without expression as energon from many fragments of metal embedded in his armor dropped on the floor. "Take them to jail. Put them in isolation. All of this is on you, the five of you." He glanced at Barron and Blackstone. "When does the grand jury sit?"
Barron thought a moment. "In a decaorn."
"Please go through this, figure out if there is enough evidence to hold them and anyone else in this group, then get with my lawyer. When you are clear, present it. If they indict these individuals, then we can go from there. Include violations of the sovereign right of planets and conspiracy to commit treason."
Barron nodded.
"Treason. So its treason now to defend oneself against tyrannical fraggers like you?" Stamp said.
Prime rose slowly, then walked toward them, pausing before them. Energon dripped from his chest and arms. "I am the Prime of Cybertron, the First Disciple of Primus, the bearer of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, the Creation Matrix of Primus and The One. I was chosen in the bonding ceremony and I am the only living individual with the power to make laws and carry them out. I have the expressly stated duty as per the foundational documents and the Charter of the Primes to protect and defend our people wherever and whenever they are. You had your chance to save your people and you did nothing. It is treason to act against The People and their lawful government by the laws your caste put on the books. You have two orns to decide what you want to do, then all bets are off. Anyone who dies here will be a charge that lands upon you. All of you."
Prime glanced at Gee-Gee and Winnie who stood. "Please take them away. Isolate them. No one speaks to them without my permission but for their lawyers." He glanced at Blackstone. "I assume you will take care of their legal representation?"
"I will do it myself," Blackstone said.
"I'd prefer others," Camo said.
"You should count your blessings Blackstone will take your cases. No one in the galaxy has more integrity than him but for Optimus," Ratchet said. "If this were any other Prime but Guardian and Optimus, all five of you fraggers would be dead. Show me where I'm wrong."
They stared at him, then rose when Gee-Gee pulled a meter. Putting their wrists together, energon cuffs appeared. Without another word, they walked out with Gee-Gee, Winnie and Roadbuster. The door closed silently behind them.
Lauren rose, then walked closer to Optimus. "Lord Optimus, you are injured." He glanced at Prowl and Ratchet. "All of you are."
"I'm going to get treatment organized, Lord Lauren. Don't worry. This is small stuff compared to other times," Ratchet said as he got slowly to his peds.
"We don't thank you enough. You tried to help them and this happened. We all did but we failed," Lauren said with a sad tone to his voice. "We can still talk to them. All of us. Can't we do more?"
"I would hope you do," Prowl said. "What about showing the films of this place on their monitors? Where's Wheeljack and Perceptor?"
Cezr stood, then walked to the door. He leaned out, called softly to someone, then stepped back as Percy and 'Jack walked inside. "You're needed, gentlemen."
"I want to know if we can pipe in the colony's videos to the slaggers without them being able to turn them off or mute them. They might take a chair to them but it also might give them some new ideas," Ratchet asked.
"We can. That's an old special ops trick," Perceptor said. "That's no problem though if they break the monitors its game over, though the equipment is designed to take tons of abuse."
"What about if they unplug them?" Prowl asked.
"We can override and send anyway. The monitors are built into the system. They don't run on separate current and the system is designed to still run without power. If they unplug them we can turn them back on and send by WIFI. We can also monitor who interferes and who doesn't," Wheeljack said. "That can give us locations of hot helms."
"I would like you to broadcast messages," Prime said. "The more voices the better. The Temple and Monastery will carry weight. I was told that a large portion of this group are Guiding Hand."
Cyclonus stood. "I will do that. I am unclear if these fools will be able to step away from their programming but its worth a try. I would also suggest that we give them a chance to send out their elders and children. We can give them sanctuary at the Monastery and Temple which is sacrosanct. You can't come after them if they go inside through the rite of sanctuary."
"I would approve of that," Prime said. He glanced at Chevron. "Would you be able to take in a number of refugees seeking sanctuary? It would mean closing access to the Temple and Monastery for visitors and other events like schools."
"We can do that," Cyclonus said. "The sooner these buffoons are disarmed, the better. We have room and expertise. We can take many."
"We can take the rest. The school will close if we do and the grounds will be sealed off," Lauren said. "We can give them more room than the Temple itself if you agree to allow the grounds to be open to them, Lord Optimus."
"I do," Prime said. "Thank you, both of you. I am unclear if they will take this up but we heard a child crying when they were shooting at us in the Esco Tower."
It was quiet in a dreary way for a moment, then Prowl stepped closer to Prime. "First, a doctor and patching, then we go from there. We'll need a contact for the Temple and the Monastery for how and when they're transported there, if they are."
"The Gatekeeper, Mazz will be a contact for the Monastery," Cyclonus said.
"I can help you," Sela said.
"Very well," Prime said as he glanced at Wirelite, Como, Cezr and Colo. "Thank you for what you attempted. Your service and memories are beyond value for us who reverence you. If you could help here with the operation, I would be grateful."
"We're honored to serve," Cezr said with a bow.
The others stood and bowed as well.
"I think having Jazz and Elita run this with an assist from Jarro on the planning might help us save a lot of innocents," Ratchet said.
"I agree," Prime replied. "Thank you very much. I will have Jazz and Elita come straight away if you could wait here."
They all nodded and murmured agreement, watching as Prime and Ratchet limped out followed by Prowl. The door closed silently.
Lauren glanced at Cyclonus. "What is the likelihood, Master Cyclonus, of getting any of the noncombatants out of this mess?"
Cyclonus who was staring at the door turned his gaze to the gentle figure. "It is not a high likelihood, Lord Lauren."
=0=At the Medical Station, Ground Floor, The Fortress, Autobot City, Mars
They sat on med berths as techs pulled shards and bits of steel out of their bodies. Dialing down their pain, it was easy but slightly sickening to feel the steel come out of their hides in the grip of tweezers. The patching took a moment and as they sat there Magnus walked in with Arcee and Greenlight. He was already patched.
"How is Springer and Drift?" Ratchet asked.
"They were taken to the emergency room at the Medical Center. Springer has lost his servo and will be receiving another while Drift had a few minor surgeries to repair damage. Both of them are sidelined until they heal. Springer is in surgery for the servo now," Magnus said as Arcee paused beside Ratchet.
"You look like slag, Ada," Arcee said with a big grin.
Ratchet shot her his best dazzling smile. "I try," he said through it.
Laughter was welcome as the last few bits of medical grade malleable metal was welded on the bullet holes and big wounds from flying steel on both their carcasses. Ratchet stepped down, flexed his arm, then grinned at the medics and the doctor that ran this shift of the clinic. "Perfection as usual."
Grins were had as thanks were given, then they walked out of The Fortress to return to the scene again. It was dark as they entered a couple of cabs. Night had settled deeply and it was past midnight. The drive to District 7 which was past Seven Cities-North and to the west of Aerie Hill which glowed in the darkness several miles away was quiet. Weariness had set in and some of them were having off line conversations. It would be a welcome interlude before the chaos of the standoff intruded again.
=0=A waiting room at Autobot City Medical Center
Patched and tired, Drift sat on a couch in the waiting room off 'Surgery-Orthopedics' to wait for Springer. He'd checked with the night crew who were babysitting Tell while he slept. Tell was being the champion he was and for Drift not having him here now sort of felt terrible. That little mech was so wonderful that when he wasn't around it felt like he'd misplaced something important.
Tell was. In a few orns he would be going to a specialist classroom in a specialist departmental school in Titan at the Central Office that was for deaf kids and babies. He would have some activities there that were 'preparatory for when he can hear again' as well as have a chance to be around other kids. When he was old enough for school he would attend the Temple Day School they both decided and maybe later on when the baby program was over, if they hadn't added more grades for older kids yet, the Circle of Light Preparatory Academy. His son would have it all. On this, (as well as everything else) they were simpatico.
Two joors a morning, Tell would be in school. Both of them would sit in the lounge nearby waiting for him to finish his tiny activities, then gather him up. They'd scoped out the building and found the lounge. It would be close by in case they were needed.
For something.
Whatever was needed.
That sort of thing.
A door opened and the doctor walked in. He sat down in front of Drift. "This is getting to be a habit."
Drift grinned. "Well, its a living."
Grafton laughed. "We replaced his servo and you know the rest. He has to let it set and allow the protoform to take. Infections, pills, visits, physical therapy. Yadda, yadda as the humans say. Do you need to know anything more?"
"Will he wear a glove over it? He looks fetching when he does," Drift said as he stood with the doctor to go in to see Springer.
"He has to. The compression helps generate the protoform. The faster it generates, the less likely he'll get infected. Beat him at your leisure if he messes this up. I don't like to replace a replacement but I can."
Drift snickered. "We know," he said as he walked into the corridor that led to surgery rooms and recovery. Springer would be in recovery. Drift would sit down and wait for him to come around. Then they would go get Tell.
After that, they would head to the command center of the incident and be there if Hard Drive needed them.
Hard Drive would make sure that he didn't.
=0=TBC 05-13-2021
ESL:
malleable: (mal-EEE-ubl) something that bends easily, flexible, including feelings, morals and that sort of thing. It can be a thing or an idea.
sacrosanct: (sack-row-sankt) something that can't be violated or broken
The right of sanctuary is a real thing and most churches and temples will take in people. In ancient days if you were running for your life you would go inside and call out 'sanctuary'. It had to be honored.