The Diego Diaries: (dd7 400)
=0=That night
They walked into the steak house and took a seat. After orders, Ratchet leaned back in the booth. "Well."
Ironhide who was looking around glanced at Ratchet. "Yeah. Well."
"So … tell me what you were doing before this happened," Ratchet asked.
Ironhide shrugged. "I just graduated from the Academy and was waiting for my first real assignment. I was just having fun."
"Fragging around then?" Ratchet asked.
"Mostly," Ironhide said with a smirk. "I had no attachments then."
"Now you're secretary of the colonial School Board," Ratchet replied.
"Frag that," Ironhide said. "I'm Ironhide. I don't do secretary stuff."
"Sure you do," Ratchet said. "The School Board meets tomorrow. You will go. You will bring donuts and you will do what you're supposed to do. Sunstreaker is Vice President and I'm going to ask him how you did. You're a dedicated member and an inspiration."
"Is that so?" Ironhide asked.
"Truer than words ever said," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. "So … have you ran into anyone from your wild and youngling orns? Old boyfriends as the humans say? Tell me about your love life. Are you a femme chaser? Do you like them tall or what?"
Ironhide grinned. "I don't want you to cry."
"Fat chance," Ratchet said through his giant smile.
Mercifully, their food came and so did refills on the drinks. The waiters bantered, then left.
Ironhide stared at his food. "What's this?"
"Your favorite meal dining out. That's steak. That's spaghetti and meatballs. That's greens which I insist upon whether you like them or not. That's garlic bread. Most of this food is styled after the humans. Eat up, slagger."
Ironhide stared at the food, then picked up a fork and knife. "Okay."
Chow down commenced.
=0=Upstairs
Orion sat with the kids listening to their orn. They'd just played with the trains, setting up a new little town on the edge of the newer extension of their colony. The children had directed him how to set it up after many pauses to consult each other. It was marvelous to Orion how lovely they were together. He had no siblings of his own and the idea of them growing up together as friends and companions was something that he loved about his life here.
One of many somethings.
Sitting in their chairs having their pre-bedtime cookies, the children told him about their friends, activities that orn, how they wanted to go to the movies next weekend to see a funny show, how the game was going to be awesome because 'you will win' and more. Apparently, they liked to go camping as well.
Prowl who was watching in the chair next to him considered that the children hadn't noticed that their father was slightly different. They were as close, loving and happy to be with him as ever. That part had been highly relieving. "Eat your cookies. Bed time."
They moaned as they finished up, then with their genitors in tow walked to their bedrooms in the private quarters. It didn't take long to put them to bed, then tiptoe out.
Walking back to the living room, they both sat down. It was silent a moment, then Prowl glanced at Orion. "You stepped up today."
"I intend to be useful," Orion said.
"You are. Your schedule is daunting," Prowl said. "I do believe that you'll excel through it. The only thing that concerns me is the game. I don't want you to be hurt."
"We played a full contact game in a burned out vacant lot for years growing up. I have studied the game we play. Its very familiar to me," Orion said.
Prowl sat back. "Well, I'll be there with the medics just in case."
Orion grinned, then stood. He held out his servo. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said as he pulled Prowl to his peds.
"Well, that's sort of my thing," Prowl said as they walked toward the hallway and bed time.
=0=At a dance club in Retriarius, the 'Club Scene'
They danced furiously, Ratchet and Ironhide. Both of them were good dancers and seemed meant for each other as they did the usual Cybertronian skip-bounce-flail and hop around the dance floor. Drinks were had, dancing was commenced and they were having a great time.
When they finally dragged home to collapse on the berth it would be late.
=0=The next morning
They hurried through the usual routines, put everyone on their buses/cabs, then hustled for the Ops Center. A plan for the next few orns was devised and everyone had to know how it would go. Galaxy Industries was on the hot plate, games were being lined up, any new information on the phase sixer would be dispersed and numerous other things. It had been a very busy time for Mars since the accident.
Ironhide and Ratchet ambled along after getting the update on after school activities from the nine tallest of their numerous second string progeny. Everyone was going somewhere with various activity groups but the smallest. Ironhide would gather those chicks up and take them to the house until Ratchet finished his medical checks that afternoon at the prison.
They reached the Center with the bulk of the senior officers, entering the conference room to sit and troubleshoot their rash of problems together.
=0=At a detailing shop on Cybertronian
He came in and stood on a platform waiting for the first real detailing he would have in ages. He'd been living in a hotel, eating good food, gathering intelligence and relaxing a bit. At least, relaxing as much as a mechanism like him could. This world was like his own but had stopped way short of the brink. They hadn't transgressed the line over which there was no return.
It was weird.
He was interested in the schedule of the Prime, Megatronus Prime no less. Somehow, it seemed just that much more hateful to him that Megatron had been something different here. Even though this was a different world with different histories, ideas and leadership, Megatron should have stayed Megatron. As he was thinking about it, the pattern clicked in.
Megatron had deserted the Decepticons. He had become a collaborator. Then he became a Prime. Ergo, Megatron was a traitor. Traitors had to be eradicated. He was going to be the hammer and Megatron was going to be the nail. All he had to do was get Megatron's schedule down, pick his moment and then, pow. All would be equal once again.
Leaving the detailer, Xylon walked to the corner, then crossed the street. He was casing Iacon City to see if it was different than his own. Some things were so it was a good idea to gather intel. When he was ready he would make his move. He disappeared into the early afternoon crowds.
As he did, the detailer was reporting him to the local constabulary. He'd never seen the kind of armor that the big menacing mech wore before but he recognized the attitude and type of mech Xylon was. He was an Autobot through and through. His evil aura had made that very clear to the detailer. His report would be forwarded to The Citadel.
=0=The morning in an office at Kaon, Cybertron, HQ of Raptor of Praxus, General and General Officer to the Prime of Cybertron
Ironhide sat at the desk his grandfather had given him and was inputting data. He was doing a slow burn while he did it but he didn't dare show his Appa. He would find something a lot worse for him to do. He'd heard about Smokey the Infant and Not Rod having to shovel out the sand piles that had blown up around the Temple and that was the last thing he wanted to do now.
Around him, the office force and a number of what he was told were 'projects' worked at peak efficiency. Working for Raptor was fun even for scut labor. Having to do data input was as lowly for a warrior as it got.
"What are you doing, Ironhide? Slacking?"
Ironhide froze, then glanced over his shoulder at the big smiling figure of his grandfather. "Uh, no, Appa. I was just studying the data a moment. For accuracy."
A hollow thud from Ironhide's mid section broke their attention as both looked down at his carry hold. Ironhide tapped it and it slid back.
A smiling tyke peered up with glittering 'hair'. "ATAR! APPA!"
"Halo," Raptor said as he liberated his little femme from her old dad. "Keep working, Ironhide. My baby and I are going to take a snack break."
"Can you bring me something, too, Appa?" Ironhide asked.
Raptor stared at the grandson he never expected who was showing him the same face he always did when he wanted a cookie as a child. He melted inside in just the same way. "I will. Keep working. We have miles to go and places to see." With that, he and Halo walked toward the door and the officer's lounge nearby where the 'good stuff' was.
Ironhide watched them go, then frowned. He glanced at the screen, then frowned some more. "Frag," he muttered as he began to input slag once more.
=0=Conference Room, Ops Center on Mars
Barron explained the order of the trial and what would be placed before them. Given that this was a special circumstances case, a history of both commerce as it was carried out on Cybertron and an overview of Galaxy Industries would be given by a professor at the University and Venture of Praxus. That would be the opening salvo.
Then the prosecution would begin after after the reading of the indictments. They would present the Prime's case, call their witnesses, lay out and enter into evidence all kinds of things, then rest their case at some point.
The defense who could examine the witnesses would present their case, witnesses and evidence. They would present, have their case and witnesses challenged and examined by the prosecution, then rest at the end of it.
The next step would be any further examinations, then summaries and closing arguments. During all this time Prime could ask any question he wanted, rule on disputes and in the end receive the case to judge. Orion could give his rendering at that moment or later on. Once it was delivered, they would further wait for the Pantheon to weigh in or not. How they would know that They would was not really clear given that Orion had no workable matrix but all held faith that They would let everyone know.
Orion stared at the list of the procedures, then committed them to memory like everything else. "This will begin tomorrow morning then?" he asked.
Barron nodded. "It will. I will be there with my team to answer any point of law. Given the circumstances, Lord Optimus … or shall I say, Orion? We will be there for you as well."
"I suppose that they could ask for the trial to be canceled or voided if they found out about this," Prowl fretted.
They won't find out from me. That's why I'm here alone. You're the chosen Prime. This event doesn't change that. Nothing in the Charters or foundational documents nor in the accumulated Laws and Acts of Cybertron state that a Prime is invalid in this manner. There's no law nor precedent of record that says a Prime must be removed or held invalid due to a malfunction of the Matrix and this, in my opinion, is what this is. You're still held in holy estate and retain the monarchy."
Orion stared at the brilliant mech who he knew was working on his end of things for the revolution that was forming in his normal life when he ended up here. His bond, Alto, was a colleague through correspondence. "I will accept your interpretation, Barron. This is a very unique circumstance and I value your wisdom greatly. If there was even a glimmer of impropriety here not only would you tell me but I believe the Pantheon would as well."
"Thank you, Lord Optimus," Barron said as he nodded his helm in respect.
"Then we're on," Prowl said as he checked his datapad. "Tomorrow at 0900 joors then. The trial of Larken will begin. The others will be scheduled after him. Then the trial of the Wheelus Faction will begin."
"A very busy schedule but nothing can be done about it. Only you can hear Primal Hearings with Special Circumstances and timelines demand action," Barron said.
They chatted a moment, then he left.
Prowl glanced at Orion. "Do you have any reservations about this?"
"No," Orion said. "I am as prepared as I can be. I will hold to your expertise and that of the counselors. Barron is a very decent individual. Alto, his bond is or was part of the Revolutionary Council."
Prowl nodded. "She would end up in prison along with Blackstone and Coln-2."
"I am sorry to hear that," Orion said with a shake of his helm. "We must do better now."
"We will," Prowl said emphatically.
=0=TBC 10-09-2020 10-24-2020