The Diego Diaries: Cloudy with a Chance of Firing Squad (dd7 395)
=0=When the laughter died down
"Is there anything more you wish to offer to the defense of this mech, General? I must applaud your jurisprudence. The legal calling missed a magnificent advocate when you chose a soldier's life," Parlow said.
Raptor beamed at him. "You did didn't you."
HUGE laughter and insults.
Raptor glanced at his grandson who was staring at him with loathing and love. "I think I've said it all. I think its easy to accept my assertion that even though he has the beady optics of a natural born car thief that he's a good infant all in all."
"Some of us, anyway," Blackjack said.
Ironhide stared at his father, then his grandfather, then the judge. "Can I go now?" he asked almost plaintively.
"No, actually," Parlow said. "It's Coln's turn now."
Coln rose with a serious expression and a data pad in servo. He glanced at Ironhide. "Are you now or were you ever a sneak thief, troublemaker, Decepticon, cookie snatcher, prankster, school skipper, vandal, pilferer, stool pigeon or card cheat?"
Ironhide stared at him, then the others. "NO!" He stared at Coln again. "Mostly."
Huge laughter and agreement.
"Then I rest my case," Coln said with the right amount of drama, then sat again.
Ironhide stared at Coln, then the judge. "What? What does THAT mean?"
Parlow stared at Ironhide with a very serious expression. "Not good things for you, I'm afraid."
It was silent in the room as Ironhide glanced around. "That doesn't make sense. What does it mean?"
Parlow sat forward. "It means the sentencing part has arrived."
"What about a … a verdict? What about it?" Ironhide asked.
The room full of individuals stared at him solemnly, then Blackstone turned toward him. "What about it?" he asked.
Ironhide stared at Blackstone, then rose. "Frag this. I'm out of here." Before he got very far toward the door he was tackled by Hercy, Kup and his grandpa. "WHAT THE FRAG! LET ME OUT OF HERE! I HAVE TO BE FREE!"
Raptor who was sitting on him gave him noogies on his noggin. "NOT IF I HAVE ANY SAY IN IT!"
Mayhem continued a moment, then they let him up.
Ironhide stared at the lot of them. "Slaggers. Take me to jail or breakfast. Right now, either will do."
"BWAHAHAHAAA! YOU'RE SO CUTE WHEN YOU MAKE DEMANDS!" his Amma Delphi said as he patted Ironhide's cheeks. "DOESN'T HE LOOK CUTE WHEN HE DOES?"
Everyone agreed, then Raptor glanced at Parlow. "Judge?" he asked with a wink.
"Ironhide of Praxus, I sentence you to life in the supervision of your family and may The One have mercy on your spark." Parlow grinned. "Go and sin no more, slagger."
"The charges," Ironhide began.
Blackjack slapped him on the shoulder. "They were dropped last night." He turned to the others. "Breakfast on me," then began to lead the way out.
Ironhide stared at them with astonishment, then hurried to catch up as the last mech walked out the door.
Parlow, Silver, Blackstone and Coln watched them go, then turned back to each other.
"That's almost as fun as mini-cons," Coln said with a guffaw.
All of them would agree.
=0=At the Special Prisoners Sector A, Autobot City Military and Civilian Prison, Autobot City, Mars, Cybertron and the Empire
They stood at the fence and stared at the mostly empty area of cell blocks. One across from them held two prisoners who stared back with as much hatred and loathing as they felt. One of them grinned a humorless grin. "Well, if it isn't Neo and Kudon. What flushed you back up?"
Arcee and Lancer laughed harshly.
Neo who had watched them brought in was sitting on a chair with Kudon enjoying the sunlight of the frigid orn. "Our view had been destroyed, Kudon. I thought this trash had been burned."
Alternative Chromia stared at Alternative Neo with really cold and unmasked hatred. "Your information is old. Some of us are gone. But the three of us? It takes more than what you or anyone else has to kill us."
"That's not what was reported," Kudon said. He stared at them, three fabled beauties who were as homicidal as anyone they knew. Prime liked them, all of their squad and they had the duties to show for it. All of the jobs they got required the ability to kill without remorse and these three especially were experts. "How did they catch you? Did they follow your trail of body parts or were you betrayed like some of the rest of us?"
Lancer stared at Kudon. "Who are the 'rest' of you?"
"There are many here, most of them in stasis. Even Prime is here," Neo said.
"Prime. He was holed up in Iacon last I heard. He was going to go to Kaon to get Megatron's surrender," Lancer replied.
"That didn't go as planned obviously," Neo replied dryly.
"What do you expect from that loser?" Chromia said. "What's the situation back on Cybertron or do you know?"
"Megatron is Prime. The surrender was complete and they're rounding up everyone to warehouse here in this dimension. This prison is impregnable. Good luck with any idea of leaving here. They'll put you in permanent stasis lock with the others," Neo replied.
Chromia stared at both of them. "Hope we never figure it out because if we do we're coming for you two first."
It would be a tense and silent afternoon in the special section of the prison.
=0=The Pit Stop
They walked in, pushed tables together around booths, then sat. A bevy of waiters took orders, then everyone sat down to grin at Ironhide.
He frowned back.
"You look concerned, grandson," Raptor said. "I thought I was magnificent getting you out of prison just now. My rather brilliant presentation was key to the operation if I say so myself."
"THEY DROPPED THE CHARGES LAST NIGHT! What did you do that mattered when I could walk out of there anyway?" Ironhide asked like a petulant teenager.
Which he generally was.
Everyone grinned at him. It was a good look all in all.
"I saved you through oratory," Raptor replied as food began to materialize among them. It took a moment to get organized, then they began to eat. Raptor grinned at Ironhide who was staring at his plate. "I asked for your pancakes to look like turbo foxes. Just like you like them."
Ironhide glanced at his grandpa then he grinned. "You're a slagger."
"I know," Raptor said to great applause.
Breakfast would go like that.
=0=Later that morning in the office
"And that's how your ada ended up in jail."
Orion Pax grinned at Prowl. "That is a first for him."
"He was very good at it if that helps," Prowl said with a grin.
"It does," Orion replied. "In two orns they expect a trial."
Prowl nodded. "I know. I'm thinking … maybe."
"I have read all of the evidence, the documents relating to the indictment, the relevant case law and precedents. The transcripts of the last two trials I have also read. I would like to be relevant and assist. I do believe that I can do this," Orion said.
Prowl who was watching him considered the gangling kid behind the pretender gear. He was mesmerized by the greatness already evident in the youth before him. "You did the research."
Orion nodded. "I always wanted to be an archivist and researcher. Figuring out things, learning and expanding my intellect is important to me. The more you know, the better you can make change."
Prowl nodded. "We can work this out. We can study the case together. I don't know what the Pantheon will think given you don't have a matrix."
"I do have intention which is just as important. I think its time for justice for everyone. The evidence will give us the path to follow," Orion said.
In the end, Prowl would agree. In two orns, Orion Pax aka Optimus Prime would be hearing the first of a number of Primal Hearings with Special Circumstances.
=0=Cybertron
He followed along behind his elders who were gabbing together as they walked toward Hardie's office in The Citadel. They were gathering, all of the district leadership for the regular staff meeting and Ironhide was 'sentenced' to come along. He was musing on their sheer gall as they reached the office, then detoured into the big conference room.
Everyone was already there.
As they began to take their seats, Hardie turned to Ironhide. "Grandson, fetch everyone something to eat and drink. Snacks."
Ironhide stared at his great grandfather, then the others who were grinning at him from around the table. With a slow burn of youth blazing inside, he trudged out to do so.
Everyone watched him go, then Delphi chuckled. "If that mech got any cuter I couldn't stand it."
Everyone there agreed, even Hound.
=0=Alternative Cybertron
He'd watched Megatron with Six Shot, Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus of all mechs gathered on the tarmac to watch three femmes walk onto a ship in shackles. It was a cloudy mess of thinking he had when he had followed them discretely as they walked toward The Citadel nearby to go back inside.
Xylon aka Rotor had considered following them but decided against it for now. He didn't have enough information about this place to do such a thing. Were the mechs with Megatron Phase Sixers like him? It would be good to know strategically. Getting out of the situation might not be as easy here as it as in his last stop. That Prime had actually elicited something in him he hadn't felt before.
Fear.
When the mechs were gone, he walked toward the street that led to the city beyond. He was going to get a hotel nearby and explore this dimension. This was odd. Megatron's aura was completely different and he couldn't cipher it out just yet. Something was totally and utterly alien about this place and he needed to know more.
What he didn't have to learn, though, was that there were many dimensions and many Primes. If he figured this out well enough, it might stand him in good stead because the plan had been modified a bit. He was going to kill Optimus Prime in every dimension he existed.
He walked off to find a place to stay that was nearby.
=0=Elsewhere
Ratchet ambled into RTR Tools to do his every few orns scans of his elders who were there between classes. They were doing well and he was going to make sure it continued. He walked into the workroom. "Hi. How's everyone?"
"How's Ironhide, Ratchet?" Ravel asked with a disapproving tone.
"He's better now than he was. Everyone's warned about his hoodlum ways and can take countermeasures. See?" he said with a brilliant smile. "We can all help keep him out of prison."
"THAT MECH IS A TREASURE!" Appa Ratchet said with a chuckle. "And so are you, Sonny."
"Ditto, Appa," Ratchet said as he scanned them all. "You look good, Amma," he said as he glanced at Corr. "You're keeping yourself in good shape. If you didn't, I'd have to kick your aft."
"You can try," Amma Corr said with a smile as Ratchet hugged him off his peds. "I might just let you."
Ratchet grinned, then glanced around. "No snacks?"
Everyone glanced at each other.
"We forgot. We hurried to the courtroom that fast," Tie said.
"NEVER FEAR! RATCHET IS HERE!" he said. "I'll get stuff." With that, he walked to the door and out to fetch and carry.
Everyone watched him go, then Ravel frowned. "That mech … we tried."
Everyone laughed loudly.
=0=The Takeout Place
He walked out with a lot of boxes stowed. The sun was bright and the city as busy and filled with energy as ever. When he reached the store, he walked inside. A number of customers were at the counter including a Knight coming for a new sword. Ratchet handed the boxes to his ada, then turned to the Knight. "I got this, Ada."
Ravel took the boxes, then glanced at the mech. "My son will help you. He's a master maker, too." Then he walked into the work room with the goods.
Ratchet smiled. "I have a lot of hats. What do you need?"
"I need a new sword. I gave mine to my son," the mech said. "He wanted that one when he was inducted because it belonged to my father."
Ratchet nodded, then walked around the counter. The mechs with the Knight followed him to the sword display. "We have these and more are coming. They're special, as you know, and it takes time to make them that way. Do any of these beckon to you?" he asked as he watched the mech stare at them. Given that they were sentient and would become nearly an extension of his personality, he was waiting for one of them to assert its willingness to be a part of him.
"They're beautiful," a younger mech said. "These swords, the ones made here, they're the best and most fabled aren't they."
Ratchet nodded as his father, Tie Down came out to help two others order knives and tools. "It takes a lot of connection to the Pantheon to make them and my genitors have it."
"Do you know how to do this, too?" the kid asked with a slight tone of awe.
Ratchet grinned, then nodded. "I do. I used to do this before I became a doctor. Every good thing that I know I learned from my genitors and elders. What about you?"
The kid stared at the mechs with him, obviously some family and others mentor-Knights. "Me, too," he said.
"Do you have a blade?" Ratchet asked.
The kid glanced at him, then the swords. "I have my beginning blade."
"Ah," Ratchet said as he picked out one with a scarlet hilt. "Hold this and see what you think. The blade is sharp so be careful."
The kid stared at the blade with awe, then took it gently. "Wow," he whispered as he held it in his servo.
=0=TBC 10-03-2020 10-24-2020