The Diego Diaries: Progression (dd7 59)
=0=Back at the Processor Hospital
Ratchet met with Jarro a moment who advised the group to let the families in on the changes. The sooner that storm blew over, the better. Hardie put the call forward as he sat in a chair in the big conference room with Sun, Ironhide and Ratchet. Prime was coming and so was Prowl but they had a small thing to do at the apartment first.
"This will be in all likelihood a barn burner as the humans say," Ratchet said as he lounged by the door.
The families were coming, a couple of the elders and the bonds. Most of the others were requested to await things as this was 'just an update on status for the most relevant individuals'.
"They have to obey or concede. There's no in between areas for them," Hardie said. "That's what makes Caste Court so valuable and why Prime keeps it around. Otherwise, I think it would've disappeared a while back."
"The slaggers have no pivot room," Sun said with a nod. "I would've loved to be here for some of this. It's hard to imagine Partition as a slagger."
"He was," Ratchet said. "One of the worst. I think Sio tops the list but Partition was right behind him. He'll be the first to tell you about it. He's a good son to our girl."
Everyone snickered as the sound of footfalls nearby could be heard. Jarro slipped out, then the door opened again. Prime and Prowl walked in to sit against the wall as witnesses and final authority on relinquishing fully, or not, the federal part of this action.
It was silent, then the door opened as six mechs walked in to halt in surprise, then sit where directed.
Jarro sat, then led the meeting to introduce everyone. "I would like to introduce Fluent who's the bond of Pico, Hallet who's the bond of Carbide, Lars and Judd who are the genitors of Carbide as well as Sortie who's the atar of Pico. His bond is not available to be here. He's getting a procedure done at the Medical Center in Pax." Jarro turned in his seat to introduce the last mech. "This is Periodic, bond of Rockwell."
It was tense as they nodded to everyone and then slightly deeper to Prime. At least their manners to the Matrix and his office were still intact. How long that would last was yet to be seen.
Jarro glanced at Hardie. "Your call now, General."
Hardie glanced at the group who stared at him with a cold placid expression. "I'm calling this meeting to discuss new information and update each of you on the status of your loved one regarding their sentence. I'm expecting that you will fill in the rest of your family and other interested persons.
"I'm in charge of this sentence. I'm the highest placed Praxian Elite known. This was no small undertaking to work out because the future of your family in this colony and on Cybertron is at stake. I realize that you don't see it that way but its true.
"Earlier today, Pico called for me to come to the jail and speak to him. I know he's struggled with his duties on Cybertron. It's a very bad place to be, Our Cybertron, at this time. It's not for the faint of spark and since he's assigned to us along with Carbide and Rockwell, there's very little that isn't terrible and hurtful that he hasn't seen in the commission of those duties."
A couple of them shifted with discomfort but none of them spoke.
"Your appa put his prestige on the line. I'm surprised he isn't here," Sun said.
"Appa is involved in another matter. He finds these things very hard to endure so he asked us to come and tell him what this is about," Sortie said. "What is this about? Are they being allowed out of jail?"
"Pico and Carbide are here," Hardie said. "They were admitted this morning with a case of the nerves." He glanced at Ratchet. "Close enough?"
Ratchet nodded. "Yes."
Sortie leaned forward in concern. "What do you mean 'nerves'? Where is my son?"
"He's a patient here under a level 2 medical hold that I wrote for him and Carbide," Ratchet said. "They've had a crisis of conscience and need to be overseen for an orn or so."
"What crisis of conscience? What are you talking about? Where's Rockwell?" Periodic said with rising concern.
"You need to get control of yourselves," Hardie said. "Pico and Carbide are in this hospital because they required it. They've had a breakthrough of conscience during the discharge of their duties on Cybertron and need to be taken care of until they can take the next steps."
"What next steps?" Lars said. "What kind of crisis is my son in? What have you done to Carbide?"
Everyone stared at the group, then Sun leaned forward on his elbows. "They were given to us as per the rules of The Code. You know The Code. It's the codification of all the powers that we were given to police our caste ranks. You either had to give up The System or give in to us at the court. The sentence was Cybertron and our command.
"Pico and Carbide did what we told them. They did everything we did as well. I think they found it hard to feel superior and omnipotent when they were digging in bomb craters with their bare servos to pull out dead babies and children. They helped us find body parts of children, babies, elders and everyone else.
"Some of them were pitiful when found, babies dead in the arms of their grannies and appas. Young genitors sheltering their children with their bodies to no avail. It does something to you."
"Why did you have them do that?" Periodic asked with rising emotion. "Did you have Rockwell do that, too?"
Sun sat back with a nod. "Yes, we did. It was the job at hand and none of us are spared, not the generals or the foot soldiers. Funny thing, though. Pico and Carbide are in here because of it and the shock of seeing what they saw while Rockwell could care less. He's not even ruffled by the whole thing. Odd, that."
Sun stared at Periodic who stared back in disarray.
Periodic sat back silently.
The others stared at Sun with emotion.
"What are you saying here?" Lars asked. "You had our sons do terrible duties and they came apart? They were damaged?"
"They were but it isn't as terrible as it could be," Ratchet replied. "They're still alive and the dead children are still dead. So there's that."
The room was leaden with emotion and incomprehension.
Prime stared at them, the match that lit the fires of revolution and felt a tremendous sense of sorrow and pity for them. They were truly struggling to get a hand on this situation.
"Let me go over this so we can all understand," Hardie began. "The three were assigned to the district commanders of Cybertron. There's eight of us. They went with us on our rounds, did the same slag we did, worked tremendously hard like the rest of us to get things done during long, long orns to give comforts to our people.
"If the job was dig out the dead babies, that was the job. If it meant tracking down starving and war maddened individuals hiding in atrocious places, we did that, too. All of this was done by everyone including them. We gave small things to children who were half mad by war, toys and candy. We gave things to everyone who asked or not, most of them starved and still fearful.
"They did it, too. They were there to help us on the job so they did. It's not our fault that you have no clue the tragedy that animates every square kilometer of our home world. No one was exempt for any reason from helping all of us do the job. They just couldn't handle it."
"Now we have to go over the next phase of things," Sun said as Hardie nodded. "We feel that Pico and Carbide have changed enough that their sentence is commuted with caveats."
"What caveats?" Judd asked.
"The caveats are simple," Sun said as he glanced at Hardie.
Hardie spoke. "They have to stay here until they're fit to return to the job. I don't release them from their commitment to us and the job on Cybertron. They will stay under our command, do clerical work and help the administration of the relief effort on Cybertron."
"Then they can come home?" Fluent asked. "Pico can come home?"
"There's a catch there," Sun said. "Pico and Carbide are no longer invested in The System and getting the old life back. It destroyed Cybertron and they get it. Their biggest fears right now are their families. You won't be able to understand what they feel and believe now. They feel you'll be upset and make things worse than it is now."
It was quiet.
Hallet leaned forward to peer around Lars. "I want my bond back. He can come home can't he? We can talk about this."
"That would be a good thing but what would you say? Would you try to tell him that he's okay now and he can go back to wanting the old life and not worry about anything else? He's in jail because his high tone sense of entitlement put him there. This he didn't expect but its real and things like this have a way of being permanent," Ratchet said.
"Then you changed their minds," Lars said.
"No. Circumstances changed their minds but as I said, all is not lost. Rockwell is still toeing the line. There's that," Ratchet said.
"You can help them by accepting their changes and the rationale behind it or you can continue the damage by making it impossible for them to be different. Right now, Pico and Carbide are scared that you'll make this harder than it already is. They've changed. You have to accept that and help them on their path. It would do all of you well to take it, too," Jarro said.
"What is your projected plan for them, Jarro?" Ratchet asked.
"We're going to down them for work and have them come to counseling before going to Cybertron. We want them to get intensive counseling from some of our specialist counselors. We have some who specialize in helping high castes adjust to our new paradigm and to release guilt." Jarro glanced at the six silent mechs. "If you help them it will go faster and be better."
"I want to see them. I want to see Pico," Fluent said with an edge to his tone.
"I would like everyone to pay attention."
When they did, Hardie continued. "As officer of the court with the greatest jurisdiction, I'm going to make some changes with the aid of Lord Optimus and the Matrix."
He sat back thinking a moment. "I am going to put Pico and Carbide in step down mode. If they show true contrition and demonstrate that these changes are real, then we'll release the jail part but keep them with us to help them along. This wasn't our first rodeo."
Sun nodded. "It isn't."
"If they mean it, work for it and keep their honor, then they get released. I want all of you to attend counseling together as a family. I'm going to arrange that your work supervisors let you out to go. If time passes and the work gets done, then I'll entertain full releases." He glanced at Periodic. "Rockwell will stay in jail until he finds, then dusts off his conscience. This court is in abeyance."
That's when everyone stood and began to yell.
=0=TBC 8-10-19